ENIGMA
by NativeMoon
Summary: AU. What if everything we ever read in JK Rowling's books was real – including the people characterised? What would you do if you found yourself caught up in that reality knowing what was to come? SS, OFC
1. The Great Escape

**Plot, new characters, new magical terms and abilities etc. are my intellectual property. If you want to borrow then please kindly ask. JK Rowling's characters and Wizarding Universe are all uniquely hers.**

**Summary: AU: What if everything we ever read in JK Rowling's books was real – including the people characterised? What would you do if you found yourself caught up in that reality knowing what was to come? SS, RL, OC **

**Fantasy/Drama**

**This story is rated R/M.**

**ENIGMA**

**Chapter 001: The Great Escape**

Jessica Newkirk rushed into her favourite bookshop to get out of the pouring rain. It had been another stressful day at work but thank god it was Friday. No more politics or bad managers with nasty attitudes – nothing could spoil her good mood. And at least she could finally get her hands on the book everyone had been screaming about for weeks.

"Hey Noel!" she called out to the sales clerk who had become a good friend. Noel Abernathy could always be counted on to recommend a good read. It was no thanks to him that she'd become hooked on the Harry Potter books and this latest one was apparently a scorcher. "I am here for my book bruh man!"

"I don't know why you even bother," he joked knowing she'd had a long wait to her latest payday before she could afford _'Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince_'. He didn't know how she could cope being paid once a month. He couldn't even manage being paid once a week. "I don't think I know anyone else who has read all the spoiler forums like you have!"

A spotty teenager not unlike the character of Stan Shunpike in the books looked her over.

"Do wot? Readin' the goings-on before the book were out? You must be a strong laydee"

Jessica tried not to laugh. He even sounded like the fictional Londoner who was the conductor of the Knight Bus in the books.

"Knowing some of the overall points doesn't take away from the enjoyment of the books," she said firmly, fully aware that the corners of her mouth were forming into a distinct smirk not unlike one of the more interesting characters in the book.

"Snape's a bastard!" a woman yelled slamming her copy of 'Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince' on the front counter after bursting through the doors. "I want my money back!"

Noel nearly choked on his café latte. "I am terribly sorry Madame, but we cannot give you your money back simply because you don't like what Ms. Rowling has written…" he said in his oiliest voice. "If you have your receipt, we may be able to give you a credit voucher for the full amount, provided the book is within 14 days of purchase and in re-saleable condition."

Jessica wandered over to the Fiction section and laughed under her breath as she checked out the latest in the_ Cross-Stitch_ series by Diana Gabaldon. Noel and Angela had come over for a small dinner party she'd thrown for some friends and had everyone crying with laughter about the number of irate Harry Potter fans wanting their money back because Snape killed Dumbledore, Hermione was hooking up with Ron when she was supposed to be with Harry and why the hell wasn't she the girl-power superhero that fan fiction and the films had made her out to be.

The woman was beginning to cause a scene. "I want to see the Manager!" she screamed.

"Very well Madame," Noel said with a submissive shrug of his shoulders. Far be it from him as only a Senior Manager himself (clearly indicated on his name tag) to try and resolve the problem himself. He appreciated that he looked young, but a manager was a manager.

He strode over to one of the front windows where a whippet-thin woman dressed in a mish-mash of stripes and polka-dots with Doc Marten boots was fussing over a display. Ironically enough it comprised the whole of the Harry Potter series to date along with DVDs of the films and recorded book tapes. Anything Harry Potter was a hot commodity – especially if it had Daniel Radcliffe (who played Harry) or Alan Rickman (who played Professor Snape) on it. Even Jessica had been eyeballing the life-size cardboard image of the cinematic Severus Snape resplendent in his Edwardian uniform of frock coat, over-long sleeves and buttoned pants that taunted the Snape fangirlies from the window. There were more than a few of her girlfriends and a couple of guys as well that would give their eye-teeth for it.

The manageress quirked an eyebrow and gave a low _"Harrumph" _as she shifted her gaze towards the rather rotund woman making a fuss who had just knocked over a sales display. Jessica had known Angela Simmons, Senior Manager of the Buy The Book Emporium, for almost as long as she'd known Noel. The customer was in the deepest of shit and had not a clue. Angela tended to spend a lot of time on her displays – her pride and joys.

Angela walked calmly over to the counter and enquired politely how she might be of assistance. The demented middle-aged Alan Rickman fan screeched the place down about 'Snape the murdering bastard' and how she wanted her money back. "We have been betrayed!" she shrieked.

"_Sure you have…"_ Angela said blithely. "But dear me, Madame. Are these…_coffee and Spaghetti Bolognese stains all through this book_?" She turned the book over. "And is that…is that.. _is that a cigarette burn on the back?_"

Angela was a lot like Jessica – even if a book was well-read and much loved it was always kept in pristine condition. For a customer to be making such a fuss about a book _they soiled_ – well this woman clearly had another thing coming to think she would be able to get away with such nonsense.

Another minute and the woman was politely sent packing with her soiled property. "Well I never! I won't be coming here again believe you me!" the woman huffed as she forced her portly frame through the wide entrance to the shop.

"Like that's a threat!" Jessica snorted as Noel rolled his eyes. "You guys are better than me – I couldn't put up with that. Cheeky moo – deserved a slap and all!"

The Stan Shunpike clone guffawed and handed over a wad of crinkly pound notes for his Harry Potter calendars, card game, Lego set and poster book.

"Have a nice day; y'all come back now – ya hear?" Noel chortled in a way that Jessica knew meant he was seriously taking the mick out of the lad.

Two more customers and finally he could see to Jessica. "Won't be two ticks…" he called out as he raced behind a door marked 'Employees Only'. A moment later and he came back not only with her copy of _'Half-Blood Prince' _but also another Snape figure like the one in the window.

"What the…?" Jessica sputtered.

"_Ooer_ if you don't want it the garbagemen will be here in the morning," Noel said mockingly as he faked taking the display to be torn down.

"Let's not be hasty…"

Angela roared with laughter. "What are you like! You have ANY idea how many people have been in here trying to get a hold of the one in the window? Why I had to put up the gate and lock it!"

"Jesus H. Christ…well at least I'll have something to stare at while I am sitting at home although I won't be on the dole this time…"

Noel and Angela exchanged startled glances. "You were fired?" he asked failing to hide his shock and dismay.

"Nope…I quit. I've had enough of the backbiting and bullshit. I'm a graphic designer – what the hell do I care about investment banking."

Noel knew that despite the considerable front Jessica was putting up – she really had tried her best with that job. She'd been made redundant two years ago from an American investment firm and had become homeless in the aftermath. Through a lot of hard work and a heavy dose of luck she'd found the one charity in the whole of the British Isles let alone London that catered to the 'unclassified homeless; people who couldn't get the help they desperately needed because they weren't expectant mothers, asylum seekers, mentally ill, drug addicts or alcoholics. Jessica had simply been a woman who'd had a serious round of bad luck and all she wanted was a real chance to get back on her feet and make the most of the talent she knew she had.

Their friend had spent many a night on the streets of London, not wanting to impose on her friends with her misfortune and just over a year ago had taken on the first job to be offered to her for a long time with a Swiss asset management firm. It had been many months before anyone had known the truth and extent of her problems. Jessica still come around now and again, immaculately turned out as ever; but never said a word about how she was having to live. It was horrifying to everyone that knew her when they realised the degree to which she'd fallen on hard times. But Jessica just got on with things as she knew she must. She had no close family; despite her Queen's English accent she was actually American – and Native American at that. It had been many years since she'd been in contact with any of her blood. Like everything else about what she did and did not do, there was a reason for that.

Noel knew he needed to tread very carefully here. The last thing he needed to do was sound like he was being overly critical and unsupportive of her decision. "But – you're still getting on your feet and all no thanks to Dave…" Dave was Jessica's ex-husband, the other reason she'd been made homeless laden with a mountain of debt that he'd run up under her name. She given him the pass codes to her bank accounts feeling that as her husband he should know these things and he'd bled her dry before taking off to parts unknown. No one would be happier than her, Noel had thought, to get her life back.

"Oh – don't worry. I finally decided to do what we were talking a while back."

"No!" Angela said dropping a pile of Harry Potter calendars for 2006. "You mean…"

"Yep! I am moving to Scotland and thanks to the moonlighting I don't have to worry about income. I've got enough going to keep me busy…"

Noel threw his arms around Jessica and gave her a big hug. "Well done you – takes guts to do what you're doing." He looked downcast though, and Jessica realised just how much she was leaving behind and the impact it would have on at least a few people.

"I'd be really hacked off if you didn't come up to stay sometimes…" she chided him and Angela. "I'm going to miss you guys you know…"

"But when? Where are you going to live? What moonlighting?" Angela blurted out as she closed the doors and put up the 'Closed' sign.

"I'll tell you all about it – dinner at mine?"

"You're on – give us 20 minutes to close down…." Angela said as she went to the lower ground floor to close out the other two registers and see to the staff.

"Here – give us a hand for old time's sake…" Noel said as he handed her the key to one of the two registers on the counter.

Jessica had come in to help them on occasion in return for help when she was struggling. She wouldn't let anyone give her anything. She preferred to earn her way doing whatever task that would get her what she needed; it was better than being on the street and it was honourable.

Angela and Noel owned the whole building as well as the business. They lived in a large maisonette over the shop and Jessica had taken the small derelict one bedroom flat at the top and fixed it up while working shifts at the shop. Angela and Noel didn't need the money as such from rent, but Jessica wouldn't hear of it once she had steady work. She'd paid her way fairly and honestly – and made good friends in the process. Anyway – thanks to her the flat was worth a lot more than when it had stood empty and neglected for so many years.

Jessica and Noel chatted as they counted out the drawers and made the necessary notations in the bank ledgers. Jessica packed up the till rolls, notes and coins and put them in the bank bags for Angela to deposit at the merchant bankers in the morning.

After the manageress locked away the takings in the office vault and locked up behind the departing employees, she, Noel and Jessica went down a back corridor that led to a staircase to the flats.

"Bloody hell, we need to get a lift in here…" Noel groaned as he huffed and puffed his way up the final flight of stairs.

"Stop that smoking and it won't be a problem. Hey – watch his head – that's taking pride of place in my studio…" Jessica sniffed as she pointed to the gigantic Snape display.

"Your WHAT?"

Jessica unlocked her door and ushered her friends inside.

"You sound like a fangirl," Angela teased.

"Who, moi? Snape's a fictional character for god's sake!"

"Could have had me fooled the way that idiot was carrying on…"

"'_Idiot'_ – is that something like a dunderhead?" Jessica asked sweetly only to have a sofa cushion thrown at her.

She turned on a couple of lamps in her small sitting room and poured out a glass of wine for her guests after depositing her life-sized cardboard Snape in a corner. "How about a roast dinner – I was going to do SpagBol – but I rather expect you aren't interested after that little scene downstairs…"

"Erm – yeah…. Yorkshire puddings as well?" Noel asked rubbing his stomach. "With Gravy too?"

"Oh here we go…" Angela cackled as she took a seat at the counter separating the kitchen from the sitting room after Jessica put on her _'Experiencing Jill Scott'_ CD. "He'll take whatever's going so long as he doesn't have to cook!"

"Nevermind that – give us the goss!" Noel said rolling his eyes.

"Well – you know how I have been tired and everything for a while?" Jessica began as she seasoned a leg of lamb.

"Uh huh…"

"I've been working from home most nights. That's why I haven't done much socialising. Remember that chap I told you about – the one with the Art Gallery in Inverness? Well he was serious in his offer about me doing some work for him. I did a web site and a brochure.

It did well enough for him and he recommended me to some other connections – including a few good-sized businesses in Edinburgh and Glasgow. Sometimes I've been working flat out, but I wanted to be sure where I stood before I gave up the day job…the fact that I knew Gaelic was a serious advantage…granted, they didn't know what to make of a Scots-Gaelic-speaking Native American…"

"Good on you, Jess – really," Angela said beaming proudly. "I can't think of anyone who deserves it more…"

"Well – I worked hard for it and if it wasn't for you guys who knows where I'd be? Went in today and handed in my notice. Miss Marie decided I wouldn't be needed to serve out the six weeks so they put me on 'gardening leave'…"

"Well that's stupid," Noel said forcefully. "She's cutting off her nose to spite her face…"

"They have no idea about anything that I was doing…I am not allowed to take a new job in the six weeks – but I checked with two solicitors and that doesn't apply to self-employment according to the terms of my contract."

"…and they are giving you money really…" he added…

"Please… with all the extra time I put in that I never got paid for – it's the least that they owe me. And she was fit to be tied when she was told she can't get in a temp. Joanna is calling out now most days – taking the mick because she can…"

"And women wonder why they get so much grief in the corporate world when they get preggers," Noel said ruefully. "Honestly – you'd think she was the only woman to ever conceive the way she carries on!"

"Don't get me started on that!"

"So – when are you going?" Angela asked quietly. "Not too soon I hope…"

"I closed on this cottage I found this past Monday, actually. It's perfect. Three bedrooms, a converted attic and there is an extension that I can use as a workspace rather than wasted storage space. The view won't be half bad either once I get some money together to sort out the gardens. Thanks to the money I have saved from Aunt Sadie I'll be alright… Two weeks from now I can move into my new home. I just wanted to make sure everything was sorted before I said…"

Jessica's aunt had died shortly after she'd started working again and had left her with a decent amount of money – minus the inheritance tax when all was said and done. She'd cleared off the last of her debts and paid back friends who'd loaned her money when she needed it. There was enough to get a small property and given the extortionate price of real estate all over Britain – it was a windfall that was desperately needed, although she would have wished for it to come some other way.

"Well – I propose a toast," Noel said lifting his glass. "Here is to the great escape from the insanity that is London town and a future filled with bright blessings!"

"Here here!" Angela said clinking her glass against his and Jessica's.

"_Slainte," _Jessica said in Scots Gaelic.

"Show off!" Noel roared through laughter.

"Listen – why don't you guys come up for Samhain? You could do it properly this year – out in the countryside instead of your flat," Jessica suggested. "I've even got a good-sized set of Standing Stones near the property – just up from the Loch…"

Noel and Angela were practicing Wiccans and Samhain, which fell on October 31st, was perhaps the most important of the Harvest Festivals – a time to acknowledge the ending of the yearly cycle with a view towards rebirth and the New Year. Native Americans had quite a bit in common with their Pagan brothers and sisters, and Jessica felt very comfortable supporting her friends in their beliefs and practices, especially being so far from home and cut off, in a sense, from her own.

"Really?" Angela gasped as Jessica showed them some pictures she had taken of the property. "God it would be so…"

"Fantastic!" Noel enthused.

"Great – that gives me just over two months to get myself situated…"

"Here's to Scotland!" Angela said raising her glass once more.

"To Scotland!" Jessica and Noel chimed in.

…**xxxXXXxxx…**

"God – I am really going to miss these," Angela said packing the binders that housed the Harry Potter fan fiction that Jessica wrote a week later. Before Jess posted on FanFiction . net she always let Angela and Noel read them first. It was the ultimate act of trust for her – to have finally trusted her closest friends with her minds eye and the stirrings of her spirit. For some odd reason it was always easier to share with strangers on the net rather than friends 'in the real world'. But there were several strangers that she counted as good friends through a mutual love of writing Harry Potter fan fiction though they had never met

"I can always email chapters to you as I write them…"

"Ahh it won't be the same – I'll miss coming up here to read and discuss things with you…the way you write Snape – Jesus Christ!"

Jessica nodded gravely. "Yeah – I know what you mean. I'm going to miss it too... the phone bills would be extortionate...and well – anyone who isn't JK Rowling is writing their own interpretations of the characters and her world no matter how 'canon' it seems aren't they? "

Angela thumbed through one unfinished epic, "Damn – it's a shame Cameron had to die; as much as I love Snape I think Cam was better for Audrey…"

"That wouldn't happen to be because he's Scots and a Highlander would it? Shades of Diana Gabaldon!"

The two women cackled as Noel frowned and repeated his oft-told mantra about what he perceived to be the unrealistic fantasy element of their stories. Both knew he was insecure in some ways – some of their fictional male characters behaved in ways real men never would he'd said time and time again and some of the women were either too tragic or too damn perfect. But Jessica had always pointed out that sometimes fiction served a purpose in enabling people to live out their fantasies, purge their own demons or perhaps set a standard for themselves. It was only when people confused fantasy with reality that there was a problem. And lord knows she hadn't heard of anyone leaving their marriage or relationship for someone that didn't exist.

"I could tell you some stories about some of the Snape fans…" Angela said knowingly. "Some of the stuff posted in the forums you just would not believe!"

"You guys are preaching to the choir," Jessica said earnestly. "You might as well scrap hundreds of years of literary achievement with that mindset. Scrap about Mary-Sues and Gary-Stus if you want – but many of the classics contain just that. Doesn't mean you can't take something of value from them or just enjoy the storytelling for its own sake now does it? And if someone is ignoring their relationship for the sake of a fictional character – well where do you go with that!"

"I hate it when you are so reasonable…" Noel said with a roll of his eyes.

"Stories and characters just are what they are – you either relate to them or you don't. I'll never make it to the Times bestsellers list – but at least I have something that makes my life just that bit richer… But I do have a life outside of what I read and write myself… I'm nothing like the lunatics that come into the shop raving like Severus Snape and Remus Lupin are real… I'm lonely, yeah…but I've been alone for a good while now…"

Noel and Angela glanced at each other ruefully and then returned to the task at hand. They knew that Jessica had just been burnt yet again in matters of the heart. So much of her longings and inner turmoil were a focal point of her storytelling and characterisations.

They could only wonder what the words on her pages would say were she to have real happiness.

…**xxxXXXxxx…**

A few days after the movers had come and began the long drive to Scotland, Jessica set off. It was a typically rainy Autumn day in London and she couldn't say that she would miss the place right away. She was sat stuck in a traffic jam trying to get to Kings Cross for the GNER Flying Scotsman service to Edinburgh where she would change over for a local service to Inverness. From Inverness would be driving to her new home on Loch Looemond, having only just gotten the very first Driver's License she'd ever had in her life being a city girl.

As she sat in traffic stuck on a bus, Jessica thought about the night before. There had been a massive blow-out of a party at a local nightspot near the old flat in Fulham and she'd been surprised at how many people turned up. A number of them didn't want to know her when times where really rough, but she was unfailingly polite and high-spirited.

"Hi there," came a soft South African lilt over Jessica's shoulder. "This is really something, hey?"

She took a deep breath and turned around to face the source of her latest heartache. She'd let Roberto know how she treasured the way he made her feel in poem and in song and had been rudely rejected for it. Because they worked for the same company (although on different floors and in different departments) she'd had to solider on as if nothing had happened. He certainly had done in spite of his claims that they were friends. But deep down each knew that he was running away from the attraction that had been there from the very start and that he had never really treated her as a friend…certainly not one of his sacred inner circle.

Roberto couldn't do anything without the considered opinions of his best friend and his brother – both of whom she'd never met no matter how many times it had been mentioned but never happened. He was extremely cautious, deeply repressed and in denial. And much like the original characters she wrote about, Jessica had mistakenly thought she could make such a difference in his life that he would take the steps to really be true to himself and the feelings buried deep inside that had been alluded to more than once.

She had been fooling herself of course. He was still too hung up on the ex-girlfriend who was one of his roommates to really appreciate that he could have what he claimed he wanted. But really – he wanted the world romantically; he just didn't want it with her.

All he ever talked about was Sylvia to anyone who would listen. There wasn't a strand of conversation that didn't somehow turn into tirades, sentimentality or daydreams about her – a girl who was more teenager than woman in her mind and character and who apparently had never even been attracted to him anyway. They'd never even slept together let alone snogged; something else that didn't make sense. Thought she'd never met the girl, Jessica couldn't help but have a sense of dislike.

What the hell had she been thinking anyway, Jessica thought to herself. He had been so rude to her, and then butter wouldn't melt in his mouth as he pretended that nothing had happened and turned everything around on her. She had long been over him, but the experience had marked her definitely as much as any other life experience had.

"Cracking party," she acknowledged politely out loud. "My mates did a great job… So what brings you here? Passing by on your way home?"

She knew damn well that he lived in Morden, suburban London in Surrey, and he hadn't been invited. The bloody cheek, she thought to herself, to show up here uninvited after the way he'd treated her.

"Oh – I thought everyone was coming…" her unwanted guest stammered

"I'm not friendly with _everyone_ – just the people my mates invited. Anyone else is gatecrashing…"

It was clear that Roberto didn't know what to make of the Jessica standing before him with blatant disinterest written across her face. Noel and Angela had already seen a few unwanted would-be revelers out. The South African was just another to add to her shit list. Jessica walked over to the door and held it open. Her days of brooking with unacceptable behaviour was long past.

"No one gets in here unless they are on the list from now on alright?" she said to the bouncers manning the door.

"No problem Miss," said a heavy thick-set man with a South London accent. "There a problem here?"

"Yes – kindly escort this _gentleman_ out please…" came a cool reply.

Jessica had turned on her heels and left the stunned young man to be turfed out into the night.

…**xxxXXXxxx…**

It had been one hell of a journey to her new home. Jessica had made the train at King's Cross with minutes to spare – ironically from the Platform used as Harry Potter's Platform 9 ¾ in the films she had to admit she quite liked. Of course being British transport there were the obligatory delays and she'd narrowly made the train to Inverness. As it was, she didn't drive up to her front door until almost 10pm.

Jessica had been lucky though – early in the day following her first night in her new house (sleeping on the floor) the movers turned up. As she'd had very little to begin with it didn't take long for them to unload their van. Most of what she had was books and they would take pride of place in her expansive sitting room.

The kitchen things were unpacked first followed by the books and her clothes. Surging on adrenaline, Jessica found the energy to get herself settled. Where most people would have probably taken at least a week to unpack, she wasn't one to waste time. Within three days of moving in she was completely unpacked; there was a place for everything and everything was in its place. Even her computer equipment was set up in the studio space not far from her books on digital art and graphic design. The second and third days it rained something fierce. But having stocked her larder and fridge just after the movers left, Jessica found there was no need to go out.

She spoke briefly to Angel and Noel; to reassure them that she'd made it just fine and was happy enough. They were concerned, as it seemed that somehow her leaving had sparked something in Roberto. He'd stopped in, wanting to chat about her.

"Ah – now that I am not there to make googly eyes at him he acknowledges what he could have had… too late…"

"_This is us," Noel said on the three-way call, "You don't have to put up that front you know… it's ok to admit you still like him."_

"It's not a front, not any more… There was time I would have moved heaven and earth for him. But I don't feel anything anymore and that's not a bad thing, trust me…"

"_Ok hun – but if you want to talk or anything…" Angela cut in._

"All I want is for people that didn't give a shit to just leave me alone to be honest… Let Roberto pine away over Sylvia and be someone else's problem… I let him bend my ear for too long about her. Now that I'm not there he's bending your ear about me – and he doesn't even know you guys! There's something and someone out there better for me. I've spent a huge part of my life alone, I'm not afraid of it even if I don't particularly like it…"

"_Good on you – sounds like Scotland agrees with you…"_

"It's hard to explain – but I just feel… I needed to come here for a reason. When everything is as it should be, then everything else will come… Everything working out the way it has, even the bad stuff, there was a reason for all of it… I just have to wait and see…"

"_You're beginning to sound like us…"_

"I'm just getting back to who I am, inside. It's been a long time, but I am glad she's back… The thing with Roberto didn't kill me; it only made me stronger, just like Dave."

They talked a bit more about the goings on in London. There was no longing, no pang of regret, no feeling like she was missing out – nothing. Jessica felt nothing that could be considered negative about the doors she had closed or the ones that had been closed for her.

After a time Jessica bid her friends goodbye so that she could finish setting up the studio. But she did have one fleeting thought about the past as her eyes flitted across the cardboard Snape guarding her like a malevolent talisman from his appointed corner.

How sad was it that the thought of someone who at one time stirred great passion in her, enough such that she'd written the best prose of her life, now only left her feeling…

Nothing.

Nothing at all.

Reassured by the lack of inspiration from the latest love lost, Jessica Newkirk sat down at her computer to write for the first time in her new home. Watched over by her guardian angel she began a new story finding the old unfinished ones inspired by a repressed and ultimately unrequited love no longer relevant or worth her time…


	2. Into the Void

**Plot, new characters, new magical terms and abilities etc. are my intellectual property. If you want to borrow then please kindly ask. JK Rowling's characters and Wizarding Universe are all uniquely hers.**

**Summary: AU: What if everything we ever read in JK Rowling's books was real – including the people characterised? What would you do if you found yourself caught up in that reality knowing what was to come? SS, RL, OC **

**Fantasy/Drama**

**This story is rated R/M.**

**ENIGMA**

**Chapter 002: Into the Void**

**BAM! BAM! BAM!**

Jessica snorted in her sleep and rolled over, pulling a pillow half over her head.

**BAM! KICK! BAM!**

"Whaa?" she mumbled as one eye half opened.

"JESS!" a voice boomed through the sound of rain and low rumbles of thunder. "JESS WAKE THE HELL UP!"

"What the?" Jessica grumbled sleepily as she rolled over onto her side and glanced at the alarm clock. It was 5:00am – an ungodly hour for anyone to come calling, especially uninvited even if it was Friday and a Bank Holiday weekend.

**KICK! BAM! KICK!**

"DAMMIT YOU LAZY GIT GET UP!"

Jessica forced herself out of bed and over to the bank of windows facing the front garden.

"MARILYN! HAVE YOU LOST YOUR DAMN MIND!" she yelled out the window, grateful that there were no neighbors to fall out with. She'd only been in the place for a month and already the illusion of peace and quiet was disintegrating. "What are you doing here anyway!"

"Open the damn door and I'll tell you! It's bloody freezing out here!"

Jessica swore a blue streak as she put on her bathrobe and stormed down the stairs. With Marilyn it had to be one of four things: her pain-in-the-arse family; Didier, a rather interesting Frenchman she liked using for whatever she could get; her ex Andrew whom she couldn't get out of her system and also put up a massive front about; or whoever her latest unfortunate shag on the side was. God only knew how Marilyn got her new address, but there would be hell to pay when Jessica found out who was obviously giving her personal details out to all and sundry.

She flung open the door and looked at the rain-soaked figure with thinly-veiled contempt. Marilyn had this habit of confessing things to Jessica and then denying them to everyone else – making Jessica look like either a bold-faced liar or a shyte stirrer to some people. Marilyn conveniently never did anything to correct that assumption about the only person that had tolerated her and the accompanying bullshit the most. They had fallen out ages ago and as far as Jessica was concerned not only was there nothing to say, the troublemaker on her doorstep would be on her way back to London before she could spell 'Quidditch'.

"I am not interested; I don't care…" she hissed darkly.

"Aww come on – don't be like that!"

Jessica took a step back.

"Right – so this means that you are going to go back and clear up all the crap that has been going 'round about me for the last few months does it?"

"Dunnowotyou'reonaboutmate…"

"What? What's that? Don't think I caught that!"

"Why are you being such a bitch? I come all the way up here out of the kindness of my heart, to see how you are and help you out…"

"Ah! So THAT'S it! They kicked you out, didn't they? Wore out your welcome AGAIN and here you come! Well I'm NOT having it! You will not treat my home like some tatty old doss house again! You never paid me back for the damage you did the last time and I'm lucky that Noel and Angela didn't give ME the boot for helping you out!"

Marilyn had a bad habit of falling out with roommates no matter what house or flat-share she managed to find. Despite her own very bad problems, Jessica had allowed Marilyn to stay with her in the old flat in London several times and the damage the last time had been the worst of all the times she'd ended up staying 'for just one night' (which always spiraled into a month or two). Marilyn was also another one who didn't want to really know Jessica when times were rough, but Jessica knew what it was like to not have a roof over her head, and against her better judgment had always fallen prey to sob stories.

Noel and Angela had lost their rag over Marilyn's loudness and slovenly manner as much as her rudeness. They had laid down the law and they and Jessica were none too surprised to see how fast the troublemaker landed on her feet once she was told she had to go. But sooner or later her charmed luck would have to run out. Marilyn's circle of friends wasn't so large that all possibilities wouldn't be exhausted, and probably at a most inconvenient time. It was obvious this was it.

"Look – let me just chill for the day, stay the night yeah?"

"You're a user Marilyn – and I don't have the time or the inclination anymore… And what really makes it bad is coming from a family like yours with all your money and privilege. You have no idea what it's like to struggle. Even when I was living in homeless accommodation I took you in – they could have thrown me out and you didn't give a shit as long as you got yours… It's taken me a long time to get some stability and peace in my life and I am not going to let you or anyone ruin it!"

"Oh so that's how it is? Get a little money and it goes to your head?"

"I am not even going to dignify that with a comment…you found your way up here, you can find your way back. Go back to your parents with their estate and fancy titles. Ah, but they don't want you either Lady Whatever you are… You use them like you use everyone else. Grow up, Marilyn and sort yourself out."

Marilyn glowered, looking as if she was ready to strike out.

"Just try it," Jessica said darkly, "and I will make you sorry you were ever born…now get the hell off my property and don't show your sorry arse up here ever again!"

Jessica slammed the door and double-bolted it as always. There was swearing and name-calling and more pounding. Jessica frowned. Fortunately she hadn't closed the window. She moved behind the curtains on one side, just enough so that she was hidden though her voice would be audible to her unwelcome intruder.

"Hello? Is this the police station in Looeman-Upon-Ardsmuir village? I have a trespasser on my property who is being abusive and I can't get her to leave me alone. That's right – a woman…" Jessica went on to give Marilyn's name and her official aristocratic title along with a description.

There was a further round of swearing from outside, for a moment it sounded like there was someone else out there with Marilyn and then it went quiet. Jessica looked out her window to confirm that the troublemaker was headed back towards the road where no doubt she would hitch a ride. After 10 minutes or so she blinked her eyes. She must be tired – there seemed to be a bright green flash of light momentarily in the thicket of trees that Marilyn had to have gone into. That didn't make any sense, but then again nothing about the whole morning did. After another minute or two she crawled back into bed, wide awake staring out the window.

Marilyn's visit did not bode well. Trouble had to be looming on the horizon.

In fact, it was just around the corner.

…**xxxXXXxxx…**

Later that day Jessica found herself driving to Inverness to collect Angela from the rail station. Noel was away for a week with some of his friends in at a Real Madrid match in the Spanish capital. It was as good an excuse as any for the two women to spend some quality time together without him. Two more of their friends were coming as well, being the 'football widows' that they were.

She was spotted outside the Starbuck's coffee shop in the station before she could even see her houseguests.

"BOO!" hissed a familiar voice, causing Jessica to jump.

"Jesus H. Christ, Trisha…you nearly gave me a heart attack!"

There was a low chuckle.

"Please…you were a million miles away… _Aimee, Angela_ – will you guys _hurry up_, damn!"

Jessica arched an eyebrow – if Trisha was that much in a hurry she definitely wanted something, food was the most likely guess.

"I'm starvin' like Marvin," Trisha said rubbing her stomach.

"What?" Aimee said incredulously as Jessica burst out laughing. "She nearly bought out the dining carriage – Cornish Pasties, a couple of Paninis, a salad…"

"Alright, paint a vivid picture why don't you," Trisha sniffed, clearly offended – though why was anybody's guess. She was fashionably thin even though she at enough for two or three people sometimes.

"Listen – there is plenty for you at home. You can get Starbuck's anytime…" Jessica said as she poked her friend.

"Exactly what I said," Angela said with a wink. "Damn I have missed your cooking Jess."

"Ah, so that's it; the secret is finally out. The only thing you care about is being fed!"

The four friends roared with laughter, oblivious to the annoyed looks being thrown their way by stressed-out passengers and people waiting for new arrivals.

"Come on – let's blow this joint," Jessica said as she took a shoulder bag from Angela and a cosmetics case from Trisha. "Bloody hell – this thing weighs a ton! What've you got in here?"

"A few bits and bobs; you know – just in case…"

"Just in case nothing. I thought we agreed, _no_ pub crawling – just chilling out!" Aimee said with a distinctive frown.

"_Wot?"_

"Forget the innocent act, it won't work on her…" Angela replied with a smirk of her own.

Jessica had a reputation for being more than a bit of an ice queen when it suited her. Trisha wasn't going to win this one – but she was bound and determined to give it a good try anyway.

"Anyone looking to party can turn around and go back to London," Jessica sniffed as she stood still in the car park with her arms folded across her chest.

"That won't be necessary, will it ladies?" Angela said looking over at Aimee and Trisha, who was now trying desperately to look innocent.

"No problem – all I want is some peace and quiet…"

"Trisha?" Angela asked, nudging the guilty party in the ribs heartily.

"OW! Erm – yeah peace and quiet and all that malarkey…"

"There's the station…"Jessica said blithely as she unlocked the boot of her Land Rover and started heaving bags in with Aimee's help. "But I have a nice grill meal planned for dinner; barbecue, potato salad, dinner rolls – the works…"

Trisha started heaving in her suitcases.

"Smell that fresh air," she said as she took a rather dramatic breath deeply. "Can't wait to see those standing stones and…"

"OK we get the picture," Jessica said with a big grin as they all piled in to her 4x4.

The dark cloud that had hovered in the background since Marilyn's visit seemed to be lifting.

…**xxxXXXxxx…**

"This place is gorgeous, Jess, really…" Trisha said admiringly.

Jessica wasn't one to spend a ton of money on anything she could do herself. The DIY spirit had definitely taken hold from the looks of her house.

"I'd rather save the money for the big jobs…and any emergencies. Thank God I don't have a mortgage…"

"You didn't do too badly on the garden – just keep it nice and trimmed…" Aimee said as they looked in the general direction that lead to the steep hill where standing stones had been erected at the summit in an age long past.

"How about a walk before dinner and we can catch up on some of the goss?" Jessica asked as she led them out her back gate. "You will never believe who turned up this morning!"

Angela groaned. "Marilyn…"

"That girl is nothing but trouble," Aimee said angrily. "She screws everybody over and then blames them for her problems…"

"The only problem she's got is that silver spoon she was born with…" Trisha commented. "She is in trouble – really big trouble… I take it you didn't let her stay?"

"Hell no," Jessica replied, "She has worn out her welcome with me. I won't make that mistake anymore. She owes me so much money…"

"You and half of London," Aimee said knowingly. "Including a drug dealer from what I've heard!"

"WHAT?"

"Yep – hooked on some serious stuff thanks to that no-talent slacker musician she's been shagging 'for fun'. He's so off his head even his druggie band mates kicked him out! And her with him since she was dossing at their place…"

"Well I never!" Jessica said furiously.

"The Duke and Duchess of Winterthorne will not entertain having her Ladyship back unless she gets clean – they booked her a spot at that posh place where all the celebrities go in America – you know, like Kate Moss and Tara Palmer-Tomkinson…"

Jessica rolled her eyes at they made their way up the hill. Just before they reached the summit they heard noise coming from the other side.

"Quick – over here!" she said under her breath shooing her friends towards a group of oversized boulders that they could hide behind

Walking over the ridge on the opposite side was a motley group in black cloaks carrying drawstring bags and using ornate walking sticks.

"Oh great, a bunch of New-Age Witchy wanna-bees," Angela whispered.

Jessica nodded heartily. She definitely knew what it was like to have people abusing sacred traditions. To her mind, none had probably had their traditions more maligned for the sake of popular culture than the Native American. Even here in the British Isles, one came across them at fairs, so-called historical recreations (even those that had nothing to do with 'Red Indians' and various historical spots much beloved by people eager to make a fast buck such Glastonbury and Tintagel.

"Watch – bet they throw in some phony Lakota Sioux rituals they 'found' online along with a bit of New Orleans Voodoo…" Jessica whispered back.

She and her friends fell silent.

They watched as the group lit torches and placed them at four corners. A pentagram was drawn ("Bloody Hell!" Angela whispered again, "They've done that ALL WRONG!"). Jessica had a dark look on her face – even she could tell that already whatever was to come couldn't be right. The four friends watched tensely as a pseudo altar was erected and items of a dubious nature were placed on it and within the spaces of the pentagram. There were two fearsome knives – the looks of which sent a cold chill down the backs of all four women.

"Come on, let's get out of here," Jessica said earnestly. "I don't want none of that coming back on me…"

"Yeah – it's giving me the willies and all," Trisha agreed.

Jessica was as familiar with the surrounding landscape as she was her own house. She gestured to her friends to follow and then moved stealthily away from the scene into the darkness. All four seemed to hold their breath for what felt like an eternity down the hill. They were silent, not even look at each other until the comforting light from Jessica's house beckoned to them through the moonshine now illuminating the countryside around them.

"Don't look back; seriously bad luck," Jessica warned. You could take the Nanticoke-Lenni Lenape away from her traditions, but you could never take the traditions away from the Nanticoke-Lenni Lenape.

"Wot?" asked Trisha who had already done just that at least a few times.

"Oh for goodness sake…" Angela said exasperatedly.

"That was close…" Aimee said once they stepped inside Jessica's kitchen and bolted the door behind them.

"Well – you've seen all there is to see up there and a bit more than even I bargained for," Jessica said as she arranged some logs in her sitting room fireplace and then lit a fire.

"I don't need to see anything else. I'm happy to chill here…" Angela said, looking very relieved. "Still – thanks to you Trisha old girl we need to do a cleansing…a proper one."

"I've got sage smudge sticks to hand – had a load left over from when I cleaned the house that first night…" Jessica said as she moved her studio. A few moments later she was back with a Blessed Eagle Feather and a few of the smudge sticks. An hour and a half later the four friends were seated around the dinner table gossiping about the goings on in London…

_KNOCK!_

_KNOCK!_

_KNOCK!_

Trisha was clearly spooked. Her glass of wine burst where it sat on the table and shards of glass flew outwards.

"What the…" she whispered.

_KNOCK!_

_KNOCK!_

_KNOCK!_

"Dammit – I told her to LEAVE!" Jessica hissed under her breath.

"You think?"

"Who else – I'm not expecting anyone…" she said as she rose.

Aimee reached out and grabbed her arm.

"Don't answer that…" she said darkly. "If it's Marilyn she'll get tired of her silly games and head back to London. You aren't expecting anyone so not your problem…"

"I have no intention of being bothered; ignore it and let me go get the dessert…"

She went into the kitchen and focused on the crème brûlée she needed to take out of the oven. Just as she'd open the oven door there were screams and the sound of running. She nearly dropped hot ceramic dish and crossed furiously to the door. She opened it to a scene of carnage. Several figures in cloaks and grotesque skull's masks were standing over the body of what appeared to be Angela. 'Appeared' being the operative word as she had been cut by something so bad she was almost unrecognizable. The walls and parquet flooring were awash with her blood.

"NO! PLEASE!" came a familiar voice from the living room before falling silent.

"THERE SHE IS! GET HER! NOW – BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE!" someone shouted.

A figure lunged towards her and Jessica threw the dish, and then ran out the back of the house. Clouds had crossed in front of the moon, and there was nothing but blackness once she had cleared the back gate. She ran, pulled forward by some unknown force. The howls of pain of whoever it was that the boiling hot dessert had connected with had died off. She kept running even past the pain of breathing. She felt herself moving upwards.

As she reached the summit the clouds moved again and there was a green beam of green light that just missed her.

"YOU IMBECILE!" a man's voice roared in the distance behind her.

Jessica stumbled into the centre of the circle, were the New-Agers, if that is what they were, had been earlier. There were two stones parallel to each other and there was a faint noise coming them – or was it behind her? Or was it all around the circle?

The chaos of millennia past, present and future and so much more reached out to her.

"NO!" came another roar as she stumbled between the parallel stones which she could now see were covered in blood. "DAMN IT WE CANNOT BE TRAPPED HERE!"

The world that she knew and those that had murdered her best friends fell away in a hail of noise, light and darkness.

Another awaited her.


	3. Brave New World

**Plot, new characters, new magical terms and abilities etc. are my intellectual property. If you want to borrow then please kindly ask. JK Rowling's characters and Wizarding Universe are all uniquely hers.**

**Summary: AU: What if everything we ever read in JK Rowling's books was real – including the people characterised? What would you do if you found yourself caught up in that reality knowing what was to come? SS, RL, OC **

**Fantasy/Drama**

**This story is rated R/M.**

**ENIGMA**

**Chapter 003: Brave New World**

Jessica slowly came to as cold wrapped itself around her body. She groaned and found it difficult to move. Once, twice she blinked her eyes trying to focus as she forced herself to a sitting position and looked around. She was in a ring of standing stones very similar to those near Loch Looemond. She looked around once more just to be sure.

These **were** the stones of the Loch; the dark waters of the Loch sparked ever so slightly as fine beads of rain drizzled down.

She heaved herself up and stumbled forward. Her eyes took in a sight that her mind hadn't registered before. In the distance was a picturesque village ablaze with light here and there. Further on looming great and wondrous over the whole of the valley, was the most spectacular castle she'd ever laid eyes on.

These **were** the stones of the Loch, of that she was most certain.

But the rest of it – whatever it was it was not the environs of Loch Looemond; it wasn't the place that she had come to know.

Jessica was cold, tired and hungry. And she needed help – she desperately needed help.

"I am losing my mind," she whispered to herself as tears started streaming down her face. Her friends were dead, butchered by some Satanic gang and what the hell would she say to the police about any of it? No one would believe her. She just happened to be the lucky one to escape leaving her friends to be slaughtered. Jail. They would lock her up and throw away the key.

She looked around the stones again and then at the village and castle. There was one thing to do first.

She needed to go home.

…**xxxXXXxxx…**

Nothing was as she remembered it, not exactly. It **was** home, and yet it wasn't. The path was there, thank God. But the scenery – everything was just so…_different_. As she neared the spot where she should be able to see the light from her house, Jessica gasped.

There was no light, no vibrant gardens – nothing.

"No…NO!" she cried out loud trying to run, but only managing to stumble forward through her tears.

There was nothing but a ruin.

The wall demarcating the boundary of the back garden was derelict along with the gate that had been in pristine condition. The house had clearly not been inhabited for many years and wasn't quite the expansive property she had been lucky to find when she bought it. It was a fairly large cottagey affair – exactly as it had been before being extended and renovated by the previous owners.

A shiver not belonging to the cold of the night coursed up her back cooling the warmth of her blood coursing through her body. Jessica sank to her knees and howled out of anger and frustration.

"SOMEBODY HELP ME!" she screamed as she raked her fingers through the impoverished soil that had not cradled the life of flora for an age. "Oh God! Somebody help me – please!"

She leaned forward, crying and shaking her head in disbelief. She was alone, confused and lost – unbelievably lost.

…**xxxXXXxxx…**

Jessica had made her way back to the summit where the stone circle stood and then headed back down in the opposite direction. She needed to get to help and the most likely place to find it was the village.

But what the hell could she say? People would think her stark-raving mad! Murder, standing stones and a life that seemed to have never been…

Jessica had always been a practical woman; the reality was that she had no money at the moment, no job and most importantly no home. She had nothing. Perhaps there was an internet café in the village and she could go online and check her bank accounts? After all she **did** have bank accounts.

_She did._

Just like she had a home.

And friends…

But did she?

_Did she really?_

…**xxxXXXxxx…**

There was a sign up ahead, but the rain was falling heavily now and Jessica couldn't make it out. It wasn't until she reached the sign that it became clear, not unusual considering she ought to consider getting a pair of glasses.

'_WELCOME TO HOGSMEADE' _it read.

Jessica laughed hysterically and sank to her knees. The laughter quickly turned to tears.

Hogsmeade was the only entirely-wizarding settlement in the whole of the British Isles according to Potter lore.

"That's it – it's official –_ I have fucking lost my bloody mind!_" she railed at the inanimate object. "I've gone mad – yes I have! It's shock you see… I can't… I can't… _No_…"

She rocked herself back and forth, muttering under her breath.

"_This isn't real; this isn't happening_… I'm home and I'm safe in my bed. And the girls…we're all find…yeah…we're all fine…"

Jessica shivered in the cold. If this was a dream, it was certainly the most vivid and realistic one she'd had in ages. She had always dreamt a lot, even as a child. Dreams of colours, smell, tastes, sounds and feelings. God help her, the feelings…

But this was no dream.

Was it?

…**xxxXXXxxx…**

Jessica moved forward slowly in the rain not believing what her senses were telling her. The wizarding world of Harry Potter had come to life. It was as real as the life she had lived. As she walked along the High Street she could make out the shop fronts of names that had come to be like old friends: Zonko's which she knew was a joke shop and the resident hangout of the Weasley twins and their friend Lee Jordan; Honeydukes beloved by many a Hogwarts student for its dizzying variety of scrumptious sweets; and Gladrags a sort of wizarding version of Top Shop amongst others. There was a tea shop nearby where Harry Potter had an ill-fated date with Cho Chang in his 5th year. From what Jessica remembered from the 'The Order of the Phoenix' it wouldn't be her sort of place to go on a first date.

If those shops were there, then so was the Three Broomsticks and its antithesis the Hog's Head. _The Hog's Head_; Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry who was also thought to be the Greatest Wizard of the Age, had a brother who just happened to be the barkeeper there according to one of the more plausible theories of those she had ever read about things mentioned but not explained by Ms. Rowling. If all else failed, she would go to him.

If this was what it seemed to be, then she was going to need Dumbledore. But the idea of it got her back up; as far as she was concerned he was a manipulator of the worst kind. He used people as much as the other side did. It didn't matter that the cause was a good and just one – people should be able to chose freely, unencumbered by indebtedness. But that was something clearly outside the real of Albus Dumbledore's consideration as far as she was concerned.

"Jesus H. Christ…" Jessica snorted shrilly. "I am fucking mad – bonkers – _loony as Luna Lovegood!_"

She looked up the High Street and there it was, just as she expected. The Three Broomsticks with that fabled drink, Butterbeer. Funny how one can get drunk from drinking too much of it, but the underage students have no problem in buying it in Rowling's Universe, she thought fleetingly to herself. Butterbeer wouldn't do; she needed a shot of Firewhiskey. Where there was Butterbeer there was also the other wizarding drink of choice.

She looked up at the building looming in the distance.

_Hogwarts._

If she was in Hogsmeade about to step into the firing line of the Three Broomsticks, then no doubt that had to be Hogwarts, a core part of the Rowling universe.

Jessica pushed thoughts of the fabled fictional wizarding school from her mind and moved towards the enticing warmth of Madam Rosmerta's pub.

…**xxxXXXxxx…**

Jessica moved through the doors hesitantly. Fortunately the weather being what it was it seemed most of the customers were staying home. She couldn't have faced doing what had to be done if the place had been heaving with business.

"Och – what a night eh?" came a lilting voice to her left. Jessica couldn't find the voice to speak. That had to be the landlady herself, the one and only Rosmerta. Funny how in the film of 'Prisoner of Azkaban' they cast Julie Christie – still a blonde bombshell not looking a day out of her thirties even though she was edging to 60, Jessica thought to herself. She looked hesitantly at the proprietress again. Rosmerta was definitely more than a bit attractive, but she just was who she was – nothing like her cinematic counterpart.

"Are you alright?" Rosmerta asked walking over to Jessica and touching her arm lightly. She could that the stranger had been through something terrible. Her clothes were ripped and she had scratches and bruises on her face and arms. The woman looked like she was in pain too – whatever had happened to her, it was definitely bad.

Jessica shook her head 'no' and tears started streaming down her face.

"Please…" she croaked. "Please help me… I… _I don't know what to do!_"

Her face crumpled and she burst into tears.

Rosmerta helped Jessica over to a chair and gestured to the man seated at a table in the corner.

"Hagrid, could you do me a favour and get down the Ogden's and pour a shot for the lass aye?"

The mind works in mysterious ways. Of all denizens of the wizarding world, Rubeus Hagrid would never be someone un-noticeable. He was half-giant and stood well near 7ft in height if Jessica's memory served her correctly. It was a testament to just how bad things were that she hadn't picked him out right off the bat.

A couple of big stomping strides put Hagrid within arm's distance of the Firewhiskey. He poured the shot and then brought it and the bottle over to the table where Rosmerta was seated with the stranger who now seemed to be having some sort of fit.

Jessica was shaking uncontrollably and crashed to the floor. Her eyes were glazed over and she was breaking out in a cold sweat.

"Is everything alright Rosmerta?" came distinctly female voice with a heavy Highlands accent. "I thought I heard…"

"Something's wrong with the lass here, Minerva!"

"Ye ken who she is?" asked Minerva McGonagall as she stooped low and placed an aged hand on Jessica's forehead. She had a tendency to lapse into her native dialect around Rosmerta as they were from the same part of the Scottish Highlands. It was something that had never been noted in any of the books, but would be become fairly obvious as Jessica got to know her.

"No – never seen her before," Rosmerta answered quickly before launching into an explanation as to what had happened while the professor was in the ladies room.

"Stand back Hagrid and give her some air. She's coming around," McGonagall said crisply in a manner that definitely _seemed_ familiar to Jessica as she struggled to gain control of herself.

"I think it's best we close up for the night and get her up to a private salon aye?" Rosmerta said as she locked the front doors and closed the shutters to the windows.

Before Jessica could utter a word of protest Hagrid scooped her up and followed Professor McGonagall up a steep staircase leading to the sitting rooms where customers could have a bit of privacy if they wanted. Considering all that was about to be revealed to them, it was just as well there were no other patrons about.

…**xxxXXXxxx…**

"I am Professor Minerva McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress and Head of Transfiguration at Hogwarts," McGonagall began.

Jessica almost said "I know" but thought better of it and remained silent.

"Are ye ok young lady?" Hagrid asked as he stoked the fire.

Rosmerta had brought up a tray after locking up. There was hot tea and toasted sandwiches along with a refilling hot bowl of chicken noodle soup.

"I…I don't have any money," Jessica croaked as her eyes filled with tears.

"Don't worry about that," McGonagall said crisply. "It's not important…"

"Yes… yes it is! I don't have any money! I don't have my home or my friends anymore! I don't have anything and I don't understand what's happening to me!"

Hagrid, McGonagall and Rosmerta exchanged startled glances.

"Yes – I think I have lost my mind too!" Jessica wailed.

Her face crumpled once again and she burst into heaving crying jags.

"There, there; everything will be alright," McGonagall said sitting down next to the stranger on the large comfortable sofa. She was operating on her own formidable instincts. The woman was not crazy; she'd seen enough people who genuinely were. No – the lady was in shock, a deep and terrifying shock. She'd seen enough of that in the First War. Whoever she was – she needed help, and badly.

"No – it won't…" Jessica sobbed as McGonagall put an arm around her. "I just… I don't know what's happening to me! I don't know what to do!"

Rosmerta shifted the tray and sat on the low table in front of the professor and the stranger.

"We can't help you unless you tell us what's going on. You've been hurt…badly…"

Blood had been seeping through Jessica's shirt and jeans.

"Oh – I'm so sorry!" Jessica wailed. "I… I should go…"

"You are not going anywhere; certainly not tonight," McGonagall chided gently. "You are amongst friends here – let us help you aye?"

Jessica nodded faintly and then told her story of all that had happened that day. Her audience was rapt and paid close attention. But it was the part about the stones and the dress of the murders in particular that seemed to hold sway the most. Something wasn't right what had happened and McGonagall was determined to get to the bottom of it. And while she had no doubt that Jessica was telling the truth, she had the feeling they weren't being told everything. There was something to this – a very important something.

"So these…_people_… They burst into your home and did those horrible things?" Rosmerta said through a frown. "You are lucky to be alive!"

"You are too beautiful to look so upset – I'm so sorry," Jessica said as Rosmerta took her hand.

Rosmerta visibly reddened. "Don't mind me… It's nothing…"

"Sounds too much like…" Hagrid began before McGonagall cut him off.

"**_That_** is a discussion for another time…" she said darkly.

Jessica knew that Hagrid was actually quite naïve in many respects and tended to open his mouth about the wrong things around the wrong people. He wasn't malicious, at least not what she knew from the books; he just didn't have a clue sometimes. The Groundsman and Keeper of Keys at Hogwarts had no doubt been ready to make a connection to the Death Eaters, the misguided and very dangerous servants of Lord Voldemort – the Dark Wizard who had marked Harry Potter as his enemy in his quest to rule the wizarding world according to Potterverse.

But the woman was already seeing certain things about these three people she thought she knew enough from fiction that could have more to do with what lay undiscovered in Jo Rowling's many notebooks rather than the published works. It was too much to take in; the world of fiction had become a factual reality.

_Her_ _reality_.

"You need medical attention," McGonagall said urgently. Despite her best efforts Jessica was still bleeding. "We need to get you to Hogwarts."

She turned to Rosmerta and gave her some money to cover the cost of the food and drink. Rosmerta being Rosmerta, she declined it.

"No – wait; I can't – how will I pay you back?" Jessica asked worriedly.

"You need help," McGonagall said sternly. "And I would wager you would be far safer at Hogwarts under the auspices of the Headmaster and myself rather than roaming around the countryside unable to fend for yourself!"

Jessica shrank back and considered herself told.

"I'm not used to not paying my own way…" she mumbled. "I'm not your problem…"

"Well ye seem to be a long, long way from what ye know! There comes a time when ye have to let people help ye," Hagrid said wisely. "Not everyone'll always be lookin' fer payback, right? One day ye'll have yer turn to help someone else… that's the way it should go I reckon."

"Hagrid's right and so is the professor," Rosmerta said warmly. "I'm always here if you need me, Jessica…just remember that…"

Jessica nodded; trying hard not to think about the Imperious Curse the proprietress had been under thanks to a Hogwarts student named Draco Malfoy in 'The Half Blood Prince'.

"Erm – can I ask a question," she asked as a lightbulb suddenly went off over her head.

"Of course," McGonagall said with a wave of her hand.

"_What year is this!"_

…**xxxXXXxxx…**

Jessica still hadn't got a straight answer to her question. Hagrid had gone ahead to the school to inform the Headmaster of what had happened. Dumbledore wasn't around and Hagrid could be heard grumbling to himself as he stomped-walked back to the school's entrance.

"Is something the matter, Hagrid?" came a voice interrupting his brooding.

"Oh – Hullo Professor – didn't see ye there!"

"Is anything wrong? You seem a bit upset."

"I'm jest needin' to see the Headmaster is all. Got a bit of a situation…"

"He was called away by the Ministry – rather last-minute. I had a meeting with him, but we had to postpone it. Can I help?"

Hagrid thought for a moment.

"Actually I think ye can! Seems like it might be one right up your street so to speak…yours and Professor Snape," Hagrid said as he led the Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor down to the school gates where he knew McGonagall would be Apparating with the stranger shortly. "Jest have to send the signal…"

The Professor pulled out his wand and sent three bursts of red and gold sparks followed by three bursts of green and silver.

"So can you tell me anything…"

Before the professor could finish asking his question there was a loud _CRACK_. Standing before them was Professor McGonagall and a woman he'd never seen before. The Deputy Headmistress was struggling to support the weight of her charge.

"She's lost a lot of blood and nothing I've tried seems to be doing much good," McGonagall said in a rush as the DADA Professor rushed forward to help relieve her of her burden.

The stranger lurrched forward and he could swear there was a fleeting moment of recognition in her eyes before she passed out cold in his arms.


	4. Come Together

**Plot, new characters, new magical terms and abilities etc. are my intellectual property. If you want to borrow then please kindly ask. JK Rowling's characters and Wizarding Universe are all uniquely hers.**

**Summary: AU: What if everything we ever read in JK Rowling's books was real – including the people characterised? What would you do if you found yourself caught up in that reality knowing what was to come? SS, RL, OC **

**Fantasy/Drama**

**This story is rated R/M.**

**ENIGMA**

**Chapter 004: Come Together**

Jessica regained consciousness in the infirmary. She guessed it was the infirmary because of the other beds and mainly because it had that feel to it that all hospital wards did – even it was in a castle, and a magical one at that.

"I don't know what to do," a woman hissed at McGonagall. "I've never seen anything like it; it's got to be Dark Magic! You're the expert Lupin – care to be useful?"

_Lupin!_

'_Oh my lord,' _Jessica thought as she opened her eyes.

She recognised Professor McGonagall of course. But the woman now standing over her prodding her wounds and hurting her even more with something that had to be a wand could only be Madame Pomfrey. She was dressed in a rather unremarkable brown outfit that included pants. Jessica couldn't recall that the books had ever described her clothing but the films always had her dressed in what really was an old-fashioned British nurse's uniform – only slightly more elaborate. At least this Madame Pomfrey looked to be a very practical woman.

"Ahh, your patient is awake," Madame Pomfrey said crisply. "Infinitely more useful that way…"

'_She could out-McGonagall McGonagall,'_ Jessica thought to herself. _'McGonagall's patient my arse – the old moo!'_

A pair of unremarkable eyes looked into her own from the foot of the bed. The long face that surrounded them was equally unremarkable, with its deeply etched lines and ragged light brown hair flecked with gray that framed it. The clothes were not only shabby, they were derelict. _'If his clothes were a building, they would be condemned'_, Jessica thought fleetingly. Shabby wasn't terribly sexy where she came from unless it was Harry Potter fan fiction. Still, there could only be one person at Hogwarts who fit the bill; and if the man's name was Lupin then there was only one possibility.

He was Remus John Lupin and this was the first-ever paid job he'd ever had in his life. The first-ever because of what he was: **_a werewolf._** Another thought crossed her mind. Where there was Remus J. Lupin; there also was Severus Snape. And this was Harry Potter's third year at Hogwarts. According to the Timeline of the Harry Potter Lexicon website she'd read voraciously – this had to be 1993-1994.

"God help me, **please**…" she murmured painfully. Not only was in a dream world – she had managed to jump back around 11-12 years.

"Oh for God's sake this is wasting my time!" Madame Pomfrey snapped. Jessica visibly flinched and shrank back into her pillows.

"Point taken Pomfrey…" McGonagall said curtly. "Hagrid…"

"Yep I know… been wonderin' when yeh'd see the sense in getting' him…" the gentle giant said as he crossed the room and then left it, slamming the door behind him. Jessica had to admit it – Hagrid certainly seemed to have a bit more on the ball than was ever detailed in the books; she'd always thought he was rather thick.

"What… who?" Jessica stammered "What's going on? What's wrong with me?"

Madame Pomfrey continued to ignore her as though she was little more than an irritating house fly. Jessica supposed the Mediwitch had better things to do than fuss with the likes of a Muggle; that is, if she guessed that Jessica wasn't a witch.

"I don't see why …" Pomfrey's voice trailed off as she went into a room never noted in the books.

How odd it was that the Mediwitch didn't want anyone else muscling in on her patch, Jessica thought, even if she really didn't want to be bothered. There was something to be said for a personality if not a good bedside manner; Pomfrey was lacking in both.

There was only one other person besides Dumbledore that the giant could be getting; the one and only, the enigmatic Severus Snape.

The man called Lupin glanced in the direction of Jessica supposed was the Mediwitch's office and then focused his attention back on the stranger. He was no closer to getting the story of the woman's sudden appearance than when he'd first asked Hagrid. The werewolf continued to look at her blandly, but Jessica knew that his benign appearance and demeanour belied a strength that was fearsome. And though she supposed with that strength came intelligence; however from fiction she knew that Remus Lupin did not always make the best use of either. As Jo Rowling had said, his greatest flaw was that he liked to be liked. He wouldn't deliberately do anything to get anyone's back up if he could help it.

'_Not even a stranger he is highly suspicious of,' _she thought to herself.

"I am afraid we haven't been introduced," Lupin said.

**BAM!**

Jessica visibly flinched while Lupin looked as calm as ever despite the fact that Hagrid had returned with a man who didn't look terribly happy to have been disturbed, whatever it was that he had been doing.

"Ah, Severus," Lupin said blandly. "It would appear we are in need of your expertise."

_Severus?_

**_Severus! _**

'_Oh motherfucking God!'_ Jessica thought as she forced her eyes to take in the sight of the one person that she'd been most fearful of once she contemplated the reality of this situation.

"Lupin," Severus Snape, Potions Master and Head of Slytherin House, sneered. "As it has clearly been established that you are out of your depth, surely you have other _concerns_ which ought to occupy your time!"

Jessica tried not to laugh from shock. There was something about the way this Snape spoke. 'Lupin' being slightly over-emphasised; he pronounced it 'loo-penn'. And the timbre of his voice – there was none of the rich velvety baritone that was uniquely Alan Rickman's or the put-upon actor-y-ness of Jim Dale from the audiobooks; Snape's voice was…well it was Snape's voice. It just was what it was really.

She found herself looking into his eyes as he moved towards her. He did have the legendary black eyes; the idea of which made many a heart flutter in the fandom. They weren't quite the cold, empty tunnels that Harry Potter perceived them to be in the books; however there was a decided aloofness, guardedness and yes, intelligence in those eyes – for anyone that cared to look for such things.

Jessica was treading on dangerous territory here. She had written so many essays and stories about Snape; but it was _her_ interpretation of someone else's characterisation. She couldn't afford to make the mistake of imposing upon him ideas that were just the unacknowledged longings of her own broken heart. Snape in fiction was one thing; Snape as a fact was something else. And that was as true for him as it was for anyone else in this world – this dream world.

It was a dream; it had to be.

_Wasn't it?_

…**xxxXXXxxx…**

Lupin had moved to the other side of the bed, opposite Snape.

"I would imagine it is up to the young lady whether or not I leave, Severus."

Both men looked down at her.

'_Jesus Christ, this is too much like my fan fics,'_ Jessica thought trying to hold back a giggle.

"Do you know what's wrong with me?" she asked Lupin respectfully.

"No," he sighed, "I'm afraid I don't…"

Jessica forced herself to look over at the dark man whose cool coal-black eyes seem to be looking right through her.

"Do you, Sir? Do you have any idea what's wrong?" she asked quietly.

Not used to being questioned on the premises in a manner that seemed to be respectful, Snape looked at her with a gaze that didn't feel quite so intimidating as when he'd swept into the room.

"I believe so; but I would have to examine your wounds," he said curtly.

Jessica let out a breath she didn't know she's been holding.

"Then there is nothing you can do, Mr. … Lupin, is it?"

Lupin gave her another benign look and shook his head slightly.

"You may go, Lupin…" Snape said with a smirk that definitely was familiar to Jessica in some ways – it was just strange seeing it come to life and not through an actor in a film.

Erring on the side of sensibility, Lupin opted to not comment and simply left the room. Snape frowned slightly as he took in the sight of the stranger's eyes following the werewolf out the room. The woman made a slight noise in her throat that sounded like _'Hmmph' _– as though she'd made up her mind about something. But given what little he'd heard from Hagrid, there was more to her than met the eye. There was a mystery here or a few that needed solving – and as it seemed to involve Death Eaters he was certainly uniquely qualified.

Severus Snape decided they needed to have a little chat.

But first there was the business of her wounds to tend to.

…**xxxXXXxxx…**

They were alone and Snape had conjured a screen around Jessica's bed. He stood away from the bed warily and Jessica realised that he needed to examine her wounds – and that she would be naked. Blood had continued to seep through her gown and it also stained the bed linen.

"The rejuvenation potion that you were given will not last long," Snape began. He stopped short, having obviously decided to comment no further. "I will summon Madam Pomfrey…"

"Wait," Jessica said reaching out a hand impulsively, "Please… I… I'd much rather it be Professor McGonagall than that… that…cow!"

The corners of Snape's mouth turned up slightly. Was it her imagination or was he actually _smiling_!

"I cannot say that I blame you," he said blithely before disappearing.

A moment later he returned with Professor McGonagall in tow.

"Pomfrey's back is up a bit," Professor McGonagall said tersely.

"Far be it from me to actually shed some light in matters she is ignorant of," Snape responded churlishly. "Miss…"

"Newkirk…" Jessica said through a cough.

"Miss Newkirk…your gown…" he said looking away.

Jessica's hands were shaking so badly that Professor McGonagall had to help her. She wasn't used to being looked at in such an undignified state and the idea of anyone seeing her naked filled her with dread. Even Dave had never seen her naked; not for the whole of the few turbulent years that they had been married.

"Don't worry," McGonagall murmured so that Snape wouldn't hear (even though he did), "nothing will not happen that is not appropriate to the situation I can assure you…"

Snape's face was unreadable as he turned back around. The implication was clear however: Severus Snape was not a man who was respected or trusted implicitly. Fiction was indeed fact in this regard. _'No wonder he summoned a witness'_ Jessica thought to herself. Then again, the same would have happened with male doctor back home – wherever home was…

Jessica blinked rapidly and tried to ignore the fact that her nipples had gone rigid. God only knew why, because the infirmary was drafty and Snape's hands were ice-cold as he touched her. His brows were knitted in concentration.

But what she wouldn't give to know what he was thinking.

…**xxxXXXxxx…**.

"She was cursed," Snape murmured to Professor McGonagall just outside the screen. Jessica could see their shadows and strained to pick up their conversation. "I know that curse – it was a particular favourite of the Dark Lord's."

"I see," McGonagall hissed, as though he had something to do with it. She had no idea just how right she was – only the details were of his involvement were not what she would have thought they were.

"She has a most peculiar and very dangerous problem, Professor," Snape continued, ignoring the venom in her voice. "Death Eaters did that to her. The curse works from the inside out – eating her alive as it were. It works slowly; but in the final throes it is quite nasty. Her death would be a torturous one – as he intended of those who crossed him. The effects of the curse have been delayed in some respects, but in others it has been speeded up considerably. Of course neither yourself nor Madame Pomfrey was to know that what you did was wrong…"

"Can you do something or not, Snape!"

"Indeed I can –_ Professor_."

"Well – you best get on with it then. I have matters to attend to in Tower – the Twins …"

"Then _best you get on with it then_ …"

Jessica winced at hearing the exchange. Snape couldn't win no matter what he did – or what he knew; anything he said or did would always be held against him. She pulled the covers up over herself and hoped she looked oblivious as the two Professors returned.

"Jessica, I have an urgent matter concerning some of our students I need to attend to. Professor Snape has ascertained the source of your problem and believes he can help. Will you be alright if I entrust his care to you?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" Jessica blurted out without thinking.

The corners of Snape's mouth curled again and he looked at Jessica beneath lowered lashes, arms folded across his chest. _'He just out-Rickman-ed Rickman,' _she thought, not believing that such a thing could be possible. Then again, Snape was who he was and it was Rickman that strove to emulate the fictional character. There was something about all of this that was struggling to formulate in her mind. The instinct was there, but this was all still too new.

"I'll leave you two to get on then…" McGonagall said before disappearing in a swirl of crimson and lime green tartan.

"Yes, why don't you do that!" Snape hissed under his breath.

He fell silent and faced his patient. They were utterly alone, Madame Pomfrey having retired for the night since she was not needed. Jessica was acutely aware of her nakedness and tried not to sexualise the situation. Were this one of her stories – the heroine and Snape would likely have been going at it hard and heavy (though every time she started a new fic she told herself she would have him and his paramour take their time). There was definitely no chance of that in the here and now even if either of them had been so inclined.

Snape cleared his throat lightly. He reached out and then snatched his hand back. Jessica didn't look at him as she lowered the covers, her face going a bit red in the process.

"I cannot lie to you," The Potions Master said brusquely," The treatment is very painful."

"Oh?"

Snape nodded and then tapped his wand on the table next to her bed. Some cord appeared along with several potions and two bottles of something that was wiggling.

"I will need to restrain you. You have my word that it _is_ absolutely necessary. Once the treatment is underway the reason for this will be apparent."

"I trust you," Jessica said, almost too quickly.

"You have no reason to," Snape snapped just as quickly.

"Do I need a reason to?"

Snape didn't answer and instead set to work. He waved his wand and Jessica's arms, hands and legs were anchored to the bed.

He waved his wand over each of the wounds and began to croon softly. He seemed satisfied with whatever the result was and then placed his wand on the table. He took up one of the bottles of wriggling things and opened it. Using a tool that looked like an evil version of tweasers, he plucked a struggling red creature from the bottle. As he pulled it out it lengthened and snapped its mouth – revealing five rows of razor-sharp teeth.

Jessica's eyes widened in horror as he placed the thing inside one of her wounds.

"NOOOOOOO!" she screamed at the first round of pain-fuelled spasms racked her body.

Snape's hands twitched slightly and then he continued on with the process. Creature after creature was placed in the cavities that were her wounds and Jessica continued screaming until she was unconscious from the low tolerance of pain.

…**xxxXXXxxx…**.

Jessica awoke early the next morning to the reality that was still the wizarding world of the Harry Potter novels. This was no dream, it was really happening. It was Severus Snape perched next to her on the bed smoothing her damp hair back from her face and then checking her pulse and the healed wounds.

"Morning…" she rasped. Her throat was raw from screaming so much.

"You need to recover; you have withstood an ordeal that would have crippled many," Snape said evenly.

"So this is it, huh?"

Snape looked at her, searching her eyes. Jessica felt a pressure unlike any headache she'd ever had.

_Legilimency_… Snape was not so much reading her mind but exploring her memories.

A rogue tear rolled down her right cheek as her mind flipped back to the night before, when she had thought she was safe in her own home. As suddenly as it had come the pressure disappeared. There was a slight headache as a residual effect.

Was that her imagination or was there a slight hint of remorse that had crossed Snape's countenance? The Potions Master looked around and then leaned into her.

"We need to speak, privately," he whispered. "Would you be willing to see me on your own?"

Jessica nodded her agreement.

"After everything you have done for me, it's the least I could do," she whispered. "I can't stay here…"

"You are not Pomfrey's patient as such; there is no reason why you should continue to remain here… However, you cannot be let out amongst the population of the school and especially whilst you are still recovering."

"How much longer, do you think?"

"A week or two – it depends on you."

"Your Headmaster won't allow it; and I doubt very much he will even want me here."

"Stranger things have happened," Snape said ruefully.

'_Only in fan fiction' _Jessica retorted though it was unspoken.

The door to the infirmary opened and Snape flew into the chair next to the bed.

"Well, you certainly are looking much better," McGonagall said brightly as she rounded the screen.

Jessica couldn't find the words to speak as her eyes were glued on the man accompanying the Deputy Headmistress. The man who definitely held her life in his hands – all present knew it. There was no mistaking that this was the flesh, blood and bone man who was the real Albus Dumbledore.


	5. A Muggle In Their Midst

**Plot, new characters, new magical terms and abilities etc. are my intellectual property. If you want to borrow then please kindly ask. JK Rowling's characters and Wizarding Universe are all uniquely hers.**

**Summary: AU: What if everything we ever read in JK Rowling's books was real – including the people characterised? What would you do if you found yourself caught up in that reality knowing what was to come? SS, RL, OC **

**Fantasy/Drama**

**This story is rated R/M.**

**ENIGMA**

**Chapter 005: A Muggle in Their Midst**

"Good Morning to you – Miss Newkirk, is it?" Professor Dumbledore asked in a gravelly voice that betrayed his agedness.

Jessica nodded as she struggled to sit up in bed. Thank God she wasn't looking for the twinkle he supposedly usually had in his eyes. There was none of that for her.

"Take care, Miss Newkirk; your wounds are still healing. It would be nothing short of disastrous were they to break open…" Snape advised as he crossed around the bed opposite to where the Headmaster and his Deputy stood. He eased her up slowly and then adjusted the pillows behind her, conjuring two more so that she could sit up reasonably comfortably.

McGonagall quirked an eyebrow while Dumbledore looked faintly amused. Snape ignored them both – erring on his side of caution and not revealing that Jessica's life hung in the balance. His advisement about her wounds was a fact not to be taken lightly; the reasons why he kept to himself to protect her but also because it suited him to be needed. It suited him greatly that it was his expertise and not Pomfrey's that once again saved the day even though he got nothing tangible from it. But there was something to be said for being in the dominant position of power; the power he had in this situation because of his formidable skills and knowledge.

"I have heard your story from Professor McGonagall; now I wish to hear it from you," Dumbledore said taking a seat on one of two armchairs he summoned from his office. McGonagall took the other while Snape made do with the old hardwood cushionless chair next to Jessica's bed.

Jessica looked at Snape fleetingly on one side of the bed and then rested her eyes on the Headmaster and his Deputy. There was something slightly comforting in seeing Snape seated as he was; she didn't feel quite so ganged-up on.

"I live… I used to live…" Jessica began before stopping short. Tears began to roll down her cheeks and she struggled to get herself together.

"Miss Newkirk – do take care…" Snape said quietly as he eased her back into the pillows.

He looked in her eyes briefly and Jessica realised that despite everything she'd ever read and thought she believed about his abuse of power and his often ill-tempered, often cruel behaviour there was something in him that was good. If anyone could afford to not care and was usually inclined to not give a damn in fiction it was this man, according to the fictional Harry Potter and his friend in thick bullheadedness Ron Weasley. She had to be very careful, but for the moment he was being decent enough towards her and that spoke volumes to her. Of course, if she pandered to stereotypes then she could say being the Slytherin that he was he had an ulterior motive - but to do that he would have to know far more than he seemed to - and her instincts were telling her that Snape didn't.

Snape handed her a glass of a sweet-smelling purple potion and instructed her to drink it all down, but carefully, as she continued with her story.

"I had a home, Sir," she said respectfully to Dumbledore. "I had a home, I had a life that was started to turn around but most important I had friends – really good friends that loved and cared about me and I did about them. I moved from London a while ago – things were turning around in important ways… My best friend and some of our other friends came up for a visit…"

Jessica took a draught of her healing potion and then licked her lips thoughtfully, thinking how nice it tasted – quite different to what she would have imagined based on some of the things detailed in the books.

"Anyway…my friends came up for a visit… and I had told them about the standing stones at Loch Looemond. My new house wasn't far from the Loch or the Stones…" she continued slowly. Tears started rolling down her cheeks again and she drank from the glass once more, trying to shift the lump in her throat. She took a deep breath and soldiered on.

"It was late afternoon and we went up the hill to see the stones. But just as we reached the summit, we heard some people coming up from the opposite side… They were…well we thought they were wannabes – New Age dipshit Witch and Wiccan wannabe's who didn't have a clue just how sacred the knowledge is that they play with, they make me sick – they made all of us sick…" she said bitterly, looking down and missing the incredulous looks of the Headmaster and his Deputy. Snape, as always, was unreadable. What he thought was for Jessica and Jessica only. They would have their talk; this was for the Headmaster and McGonagall.

"I'm not English; I was raised in Philadelphia in the States, West Philly, not that it means anything. My family is mainly from Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and the DelMarVa Peninsula – we are Nanticoke and Lenni Lenape – we are Native Americans. We were there before you Yengese came. Our tribe – is the Grandfather Tribe: the one tribe from whence all others came…

My closest friends here were practicing Wiccans and Witches…their beliefs and rituals struck a cord with me. Even though I am far from my people and my traditions they embraced me as a Sister in faith. I celebrated with them and embraced them in the ways of my people when we could celebrate the old ways. We were one; like this (she clasped hands together) – understand?

Dumbledore nodded respectfully and sat up straight in his seat as did McGonagall. Snape didn't have to reposition himself. He had already been straight as an arrow. Miss Newkirk was telling the truth – he'd already seen it for himself.

"Anway… these people were dressed like Satanists – black cloaks, long staffs and all that bull… They laid a Pentagram – and did it WRONG! They put up this bogus altar and set up things in the Pentagram. And then to top that off whipped out these mad, crazy knives. That was it for us – I didn't want any of that negativity coming back on me and neither did my friends. They just couldn't be up to anything that was good. We got the hell out of there – it scared the hell out of us. We were so spooked we couldn't even look at each other or speak until we got near my house. It was just – really creepy…"

Jessica drank the last her potion and then yawned, excusing herself for being so rude. Dumbledore nodded and looked at Jessica appraisingly. Snape reached over and took the glass from her hands and set it on the table next to her bed. He looked at her – at best she would be awake for perhaps another half hour or so and he advised the Headmaster.

The stranger continued with her story. "We got home – and I did a cleansing, in the way of my people with Sage Smudge Sticks and a Blessed Eagle Feather… Trish had looked back God knows how many times and I said not to – but it was too late… So I did a cleansing and Angela had wanted one…"

At the thought her best friend Jessica trembled slightly and then blinked the tears back, though it was of no use. They flowed freely and she continued to talk through them. "We had just finished dinner when there was this knocking at the front door…"

"They _knocked_?" McGonagall said looking at Jessica as if she were some spectre come to life. The only reaction from Snape was a faint twitch of one hand. The Headmaster was nothing less than incredulous.

"Yes… they knocked. And we thought it was this person who used to be a friend of ours – nothing but trouble… she'd already been sniffing around that morning and I sent her packing. I pretended to call the police and she overheard (which of course is exactly what I wanted her to do) – and she took off…"

Jessica's voice trailed off and her mouth opened slightly.

"The light…" she muttered. "She walked into the thicket… and then there was this green light…I saw it… it was a green light… and then I went back to bed thinking I just must be tired – I mean she woke me up at like five in the morning and I was really hacked off about it…"

Dumbledore's eyebrows shot up into his wizard's cap and one of McGonagall's hands clawed the other. There was a slight twitch of Snape's mouth, but other than that there was no other outward sign that anything was wrong on the part the Potions Master.

"The knocking happened again and Aimee said to just ignore it (because I got up from the table); that if it was Marilyn she would get the hint and leave and if it wasn't then no harm done since I wasn't expecting anyone… I wasn't going to answer the door anyway. I went to the kitchen and had this dessert in the oven… I had just open the oven door when I head the noise… I don't know if Angela went to the door – I think she did so she could just tell Marilyn off herself….

I opened the door to the hall and Ange… Angela was on the floor… and there was just so much blood… it was all over the walls and the floor… and I saw these… people… in hooded cloaks and these death masks… they were these horrible skull things… not even the cheap kind you get for Halloween in the shops… they had these… like vein-y things on them… I can't explain it – but I can draw it… I'm a graphic designer… I've never seen anything like them before… They looked like real bone almost…"

"Almighty Bride…" McGonagall sputtered.

Snape grabbed impulsively at his left arm, the exact spot that Jessica knew had to be where the Dark Mark of Voldemort was branded. So that was just as much fact as it was fiction. Interesting.

"I heard this scream – it was Aimee… she was so beautiful… and she was expecting her first child… We were celebrating life… and that life was taken!"

Jessica started to cry and McGonagall moved from her chair to sit on the bed, albeit carefully after a glare from Snape.

"It was Aimee… and as quickly as she screamed it went quiet and then one of them screamed something about me and I threw the Crème Brûlée – I was still holding it in my hands – I threw it and ran… I ran and I ran and I ran and something pulled me forward and I couldn't stop even though it hurt to breathe… I found myself going up and I think it registered in my mind that I was heading towards the Stones – I don't even know why… But I ran up and up and up… And then the moon came out… it had been pitch black out once I was beyond the house. I knew where I was going but somehow they managed to follow me… and there was this green light that went past me… and the person who missed got yelled at I think…

And the moon came out from behind the clouds… and I saw that I had made it inside the circle and I head this… this… (Jessica gestured wildly and Snape hissed at her to calm down)

I saw the parallel stones and just lunged forward into the noise. And when I did there was all this blood on them that I hadn't noticed before. The last thing I remember was one of those people screamed something about how they couldn't be trapped there as I fell forward. The next thing I knew I came to in the circle… but everything was different… it was your world, not mine…"  
"Oh my God," McGonagall said clutching her chest.

Dumbledore took a deep breath, and despite how omnipotent he might have seemed to be to others, Jessica saw him as the very old man he really was; Old, but still very powerful in his own way.

"I am not a liar," she said defensively. "I am a lot of things, some of them not very nice, but I am no liar!"

"No," Dumbledore said nodding in agreement. "No, Miss Newkirk; you are not a liar. You truly believe the story you have told us – of that I have no doubt…"

"You… you…" Jessica snapped. "I AM NOT CRAZY AND YOU ARE NOT GOING TO PLAY ME LIKE YOU PLAY EVERYONE ELSE! YOU KNOW SOMETHING – I KNOW YOU DO!"

"You are sadly mistaken; I know nothing of the sort…"

"Liar!"

"Miss Newkirk – really you forget yourself. This is Albus Dumbledore…" McGonagall sputtered.

"I KNOW EXACTLY WHO HE IS AND YOU KNOW WHAT? I DON'T WANT TO BE HERE ANY MORE THAN YOU WANT ME TO BE!" Jessica said hoisting her legs over the side of the bed.

"You are not going anywhere," Snape hissed as he grabbed her arms. "You are ill, gravely ill Miss Newkirk and you will die if you do not take heed!"

His black eyes met hers again, and Jessica understood implicitly that Snape wanted her to stay – why he could not express in that moment, but he wanted her to stay. She stumbled as if to fall and he reached out and grabbed her gently. "Trust me," he whispered fast under his breath so that only she could hear.

_'No one else trusts you – although Dumbledore will say that he does and yet never explains why…' _she thought to herself.

'OK' she said softly so that only he could hear as he helped her back into bed.

**…xxxXXXxxx… **

"So do you think she is lying or that she has convinced herself of something that never really happened?" Lupin asked Dumbledore as he, the Headmaster, Snape and McGonagall sat in his office discussing the delicate situation with the stranger in their midst as she slept.

"On the contrary," Dumbledore said popping a Sherbert Lemon into his mouth after cleaning fuzz off of it from his pocket. "I believe her wholeheartedly."

"Then why the pretense, Headmaster?" Snape queried benignly. Had Jessica been there she would have said that he'd just out-Lupin-ed Lupin.

Dumbledore sat back and then peered at his Potions Master over his spectacles.

"I believe she is in danger, very grave danger."

"Forgive me for overstating the obvious, Dumbledore," McGonagall said crisply. "But I think we already know that to be the case do we not?"

"For everything she had told us there are some very important things she has not. And I believe those things perhaps are the missing pieces of this puzzle and may give insight into why she is hunted and whom might be behind it."

"I'm not sure I understand…" McGonagall said with a slight frown.

"She is not from our world. You heard her yourself; she is not from our world…"

"Are you proposing that she has fallen into our laps from somewhere out there?" Lupin asked as he gestured abstractly.

"Of course not," Dumbledore said with a smile. "But what I do propose is that she comes from a world parallel to this. She is a Muggle; uniquely Muggle and she is in _our_ world…"

"A Muggle?" Lupin sputtered. "But Muggles can't see our world! They can't know of it or experience it!"

"The legends, Remus; did Binns never speak of the Stones in your _History of Magic_ course?"

"Binns never set stock in anything approximating myth or fantasy. What little I know I heard from bedtime stories as a child, the same as anyone else that might be aware of them…"

" Miss Newkirk can see us – and she _is_ experiencing our world. She is the living reality of the myths surrounding the Stones and we are all witnesses," Dumbledore said. "And the more she becomes known in our world the greater the danger will increase where she is concerned – should the truth ever become known… As it is the only others who know of her, though very little, are Hagrid, Rosmerta and Madame Pomfrey... a slight adjustment of memory should suffice all the way around and then Miss Newkirk must be sent on her way."

"Headmaster – assuming that your theory is in deed fact; Is it not feasible that were Miss Newkirk sent back…wherever it is that she is from… that her life would still be forfeit in the eyes of her pursuers? She will die, and it is a given that the murders are from this world. She was hunted for a reason. They did not have to take the lives of her friends and yet they did… and we have no way as of yet of knowing who they are and the motive behind their actions – and it is important to find out," Snape said calmly. "And she would likely come under fire from authorities in her world. Her friends were murdered and she disappeared. To suddenly return unharmed…"

Dumbledore looked thoughtful as he nodded his agreement.

"Whoever they are, they are in Voldemort's service," McGonagall said.

"Actually, we cannot be so certain of that," Snape said firmly.

"Is that a fact? Black cloaks, Death Eater masks and Dark Magic – it seems straightforward enough," said Lupin.

"Ah, yes. Far be it from _me_ to have to point out the obvious to a Dark Arts expert such as yourself…"

"And that is?"

_"When Death Eaters come to call they are not in the habit of **knocking** any more than they are capable of **not** leaving the Dark Mark as a sign of their passing…the casting of it in the sky would have prevented Miss Newkirk's escape under the cover of darkness." _

**…xxxXXXxxx… **

The three Hogwarts staff members sat in silence, each locked in their own thoughts. It was Lupin who broke the silence.

"She is here and she will have to get used to this life for the foreseeable future… All anyone would need to know is that she is a Squib should it ever become apparent that she has no magical ability…"

"She certainly cannot be turned loose to sort out things on her own, Albus. You have always said that Hogwarts will always be here for those in need of it," added McGonagall. "From the sounds of things even our world of Muggles isn't quite the same as hers… _my God this is all so_…"

"And so it is," Dumbledore said with a nod. "A grave injustice would be done and a life lost were we to turn her backs on her…"

Snape had a thought or two of his own that he would allow to surface in the privacy of his own rooms; for now he wisely kept his own counsel.

The Headmaster thought some more.

"Well – there are options. She could take on a position at one of the establishments in Hogsmeade – but that offers minimal protection if any. The best option would be for her to take on duties assisting Hagrid or Mr. Filch…"

McGonagall snorted loudly. "Now see here Dumbledore! The woman is educated and she has talents that served her well where she is from… Filch or Hagrid indeed!"

"But that is the whole point of it Minerva; she is no longer _wherever it is_ that she is from…"

"She could assist with Muggle Studies…"

"The course is presented from a Wizarding point-of-view and the point is to minimise the attention that she could unintentionally draw to herself."

McGonagall let out an exasperated sigh.

"Fine – then she could fill the post of Library Sciences Administrator. Pince isn't up to the task and we've had to make due for too long without one. A bit of training and she'd do well enough…"

"And what of the more practical side of the work? And she would have contact with the students…"

"Headmaster – if I understand it correctly, so long as Miss Newkirk masters the theories of our world the practicalities are irrelevant. After all, even Miss Granger does not set much stock in anything she cannot read in a book – she whom is often claimed to be the cleverest witch of her age by some… If Miss Newkirk has any degree of intelligence and can memorise then she should do well enough," Snape said idly. "We cannot wrap her in cotton wool; if we do that she will be an even bigger risk to herself…"

"We cannot hide her away, and it isn't possible to keep people from finding out about her in some fashion. It wouldn't work in the long-term," Lupin added. "No one knows that more than I do…"

Snape visibly blanched and his eyes narrowed at the sight of the werewolf. He chose to ignore his enemy as McGonagall made her final move. "Miss Newkirk can read and she has plenty of time on her hands. She can undertake the training programme for the remainder of the school year with minimal interaction with the students," she said firmly. "Some coaching from us and I am sure she will do just fine…"

"Then I leave her to you, Minerva," Dumbledore said with a dismissive gesture. "After all, there are other matters which must occupy my time and interest."

"Well – fine then…" McGonagall said with a huff as she rose to her feet. "I take it you will entrust her living arrangements, salary and the like to me as well?"

"Entirely…" Dumbledore said rifling through some papers he'd received from the Ministry of Magic.

**…xxxXXXxxx… **

Snape swept from the room after Lupin and McGonagall. Were he the pitying kind he could almost pity Jessica Newkirk. She was now indebted to the Headmaster just as the rest of them were. And there was no doubt that sooner or later the Headmaster would call in that debt.

But at least he could see her now, to talk with her without having any false pretenses about it or having to arrange it clandestinely. Dumbledore had never had any intention of letting her out of his sight if he could help it. Jessica Newkirk could be useful to him – how, given that she was likely as Muggle as he proposed she was, he could only guess. The old man had one or a few tricks up his formidable sleeves where she was concerned; he had no doubt about that.

_'Stranger things have happened,'_ he'd said to her about the Headmaster letting her stay when she hadn't believed it possible.

Being right did not feel comforting.

How could it?

It never did.


	6. Apt Pupil

**Plot, new characters, new magical terms and abilities etc. are my intellectual property. If you want to borrow then please kindly ask. JK Rowling's characters and Wizarding Universe are all uniquely hers.**

**Summary: AU: What if everything we ever read in JK Rowling's books was real – including the people characterised? What would you do if you found yourself caught up in that reality knowing what was to come? SS, RL, OC **

**Fantasy/Drama**

**This story is rated R/M.**

**ENIGMA**

**Chapter 006: Apt Pupil**

Jessica had been cooped up in a part of the infirmary used for matters necessitating quarantine, not that anyone could really recall such drastic measures ever being needed at Hogwarts. For two weeks she'd listened clandestinely at students and faculty with any number of strange complaints and ailments from behind a closed and locked door. One stormy Saturday Harry Potter was brought in amidst howls of outrage though apparently he himself was unconscious. Jessica could barely make out what was being said, but the one word that stuck out was 'Dementors'.

Her blood ran cold and she recalled the chapter from the third book detailing how Dark creatures called Dementors had invaded the Quidditch pitch and caused Potter to fall from his broom during a match; more than one spectator had likely thought he'd met an untimely end. The weather surely didn't help, she thought as she looked outside at the deluge of wind and rain hammering it down. She was lonely, very lonely and longed for some company.

Lupin had seemingly vanished, but looking at the calendar on the wall it was obvious he was locked away for his monthly transformation. At least he only had to deal with being a wolf, since Snape was brewing the Wolfsbane Potion which prevented Lupin from turning into a full-fledged werewolf. She could only wonder what both men would make of just how much she knew of their past, present and uncertain future.

_Snape. _

It had been almost a week since Jessica had seen the Potions Master. It seemed so strange that he, of all people, would call on her and ask her to trust him. Trust didn't come easy for her and she sure as hell didn't think it came easy for him either given what she thought she knew about the man. Why – why did he ask that? What did he want? Did she need to be as wary of him as others here seemed to be? Dumbledore wasn't – but Dumbledore was supposedly the Greatest Wizard of the Age and most important _he was using Snape_; that was the difference.

Jessica swore under her breath. She hated knowing so much or at least _seeming_ to know so much. More than anything she detested having to monitor and weigh every word. She had almost slipped up a couple times, and it was driving her to despair that this wasn't a dream that she could just wake up from. If only it were that simple. What she wouldn't give for the Time Turner that she knew Hermione Granger was in possession of. Then again, a fat lot of good it would do her – it couldn't get her back to where she'd come from.

_Where exactly was it that she had come from? _

_How did it happen?_

_Why her?_

_And why was it that a non-magical person like her could see and experience this world?_

The more Jessica obsessed over her predicament overwhelmed by loneliness, the more she was reminded of just how insignificant she was and how much she had truly lost.

…**xxxXXXxxx…**

It was late, far too late to be calling on anyone – even at Hogwarts. But Snape had had his hands full with the rigors of his job teaching Potions and being the Head of Slytherin House. Add the expected complications with playing watcher over Harry Potter as he'd had to for the last few years and it was no wonder he did not have any semblance of a life, not that he'd ever had.

_Life._

He had forfeited his right to a real life long ago. And not just the once.

_Twice. _

Twice he had sold his now-shattered soul to the highest bidder and twice he had paid a price. Too heavy a price for his taste, but then he was certain there were many who would argue the exact opposite. His mind strayed to the stranger in their midst. No, it had stopped straying; the sporadic contemplation had transformed itself into something more certain and purposeful. There were too many unanswered questions – but only two mattered.

It was those two which drove Severus Snape to seek out the company of the only known Muggle to have ever set foot in the wizarding world – and live.

…**xxxXXXxxx…**

He wanted to be tough with her – dammit he **should** be tough with her. She was nothing to him, really;_ nothing_. She was here for the foreseeable future, no question. By the time McGonagall got done with her, Jessica Newkirk would barely remember that she_ was not _born to this world. She would settle into her new life – a new life that had nothing to do with him. She would have nothing to do with him and in kind could expect the same as everyone else from him…_Nothing._

Having convinced himself that no good could come of associating with Jessica Newkirk regardless of the answers she might hold to his questions, Professor Snape found himself hesitating outside of her room in the infirmary. A room – he wouldn't have wished that airless cell she was locked in on a house-elf. He cursed himself, thinking what business was it of his? The woman was damned lucky to even still be alive.

Dumbledore wasn't exactly the kindly old wise sage that everyone else held him up to be.

And in the Headmaster's service, one's life was as _he_ dictated. Jessica Newkirk would find that out for herself, Snape was sure of it. But she was alive, and no less because of Dumbledore's apparent mercy. But the Headmaster wanted answers as well, despite all appearances to the contrary. Miss Newkirk was a pawn, a very valuable and useful pawn, perhaps even more than he with his nefarious ties to the Dark Lord.

But was she?

Was she _really_?

The woman didn't known any more than the rest of them about her most peculiar predicament; even he was no dunderhead such as to believe otherwise. There was something about her, however. And that unknown something is what convinced Snape to not return to his quarters and instead step through the door.

…**xxxXXXxxx…**

Jessica was tucked up in bed, sipping the last of the healing draughts she'd been prescribed by him. Her healing had come along well thanks to the efforts of the school's most hated resident. Even a squib would have rudimentary knowledge of spells, potions, transfiguration and charms work so she had studying the texts that students would have read when she was at school as McGonagall instructed. Given Jessica's age, she would have been in the same year as Snape and Lupin; which was also the same year as James Potter, Sirius Black, Peter Pettigrew and Lily Evans (who had married James not long after leaving school if Jessica's guesswork was right). Tonight was no different than any other night or day had been since she'd been locked away in her prison, supposedly for her own good: she studied – morning, noon, night and late night all she did was study.

"You look much better, Miss Newkirk," came a soft voice interrupting her note-taking.

Jessica had several large parchment-filled books and was still struggling to get comfortable with using a quill to write with. She hated it; she hated it beyond belief. What she hated even more was not having her laptop. In fan fiction everything always worked out so that protagonists had modern accoutrements at the school: ballpoint pens, laser printers, stereo systems, computers. Hell – they had all manner of makes and models of things that hadn't even been bloody invented during the timeline of Harry Potter's years as a Hogwarts student. No such luck in this nightmare that was her life now.

"Oh, um – thank you, Professor," she said rubbing her eyes and then her temples.

"Is your head bothering you?"

"Just my eyes – the doctor keeps saying I need reading glasses…" Jessica's face fell; it was yet another reference to another time and place; a time and place that no longer had anything to do with her. There was nowhere to sit but on her bed, she closed the big notebook she had been writing in and the Potions text she had been making notes from and placed them on the floor.

"What is the difference between Monkshood and Wolfsbane?" Snape asked sitting on the edge of the bed as there was no other furniture in the room save a small table next to the bed. One false move and he would end up on the floor. A most undignified position that he was determined would not be his fate.

"There is no difference: they are the same plant which also goes by the name of Aconite…" she replied casually. Any Harry Potter fan could have reeled that off the top of their head – as it was part of Snape's very first verbal assault on Harry Potter in his first potions class.

Snape sniffed and continued asking questions for the next half hour. Jessica didn't do too badly – she only missed 7 out of 50. She was very pleased with herself, as she'd had ample time to study for her exam and had worked hard, although the exam wasn't supposed to be until the following morning. She worked harder than a lot of students enrolled at the school and that impressed the few who knew of her and served as her tutors.

It wasn't in the Potions Master's nature to offer praise and true to form, he didn't. There was a reason for that; but as with most things concerning Snape – there was a reason for everything he did and did not do.

Just like Jessica.

He reviewed the questions she'd gotten wrong after recording her mark in a ledger and gave her even more assignments. So used was he to complaining and muttering that her acquiescent silence almost unnerved him. No matter how hard or difficult he was, she was always polite. Even when he sensed the resentment he knew was there – Jessica Newkirk gave him the respect he was due as one of her tutors. The more polite she was the more work she was given by him.

Snape was nothing less than merciless with her and once again she was unfailingly even tempered. He was so taken aback that he forgot about the original purpose of his visit.

"Is there anything else?" Jessica asked quietly as she finished noting all the essays he wanted finished over the next two days. He did not care and it did not matter that she was overloaded already; his work was just as important as anyone else's. He made those and a number of other scathing remarks. Still there was no reaction, just note-taking.

Snape looked down his nose at the stranger and her stacks of books. Even Granger would have cracked under this much pressure, that insufferable know-it-all Gryffindor swot. He'd enjoyed making her crack many times and still did. That made sense to him – and his formidable instincts told him something was not right about this.

"Why do you take it!" he hissed. "Why do you not react when provoked!"

"What good would it do me except to bring more of what I don't want or need my way, Professor? I don't have the advantage in this situation – the best I can do is get stuck in and keep my head down. I hate this, ok; I hate being stuck up here like some kind of Rapunzel locked away from the world. But what choice do I have? By rights you people should just do away with me apparently – I've heard Pomfrey – it's what she would do. She would have offed me and not thought twice about it. And when all is said and done Dumbledore could do just that she says. Once the mystery is solved – he won't be so stupid such as to let me get out of here not even if it was to make it back only to be killed by those maniacs… And he won't take a chance that tampering with my memories could give only a temporary result. I heard her – this is my life now as much as I really don't want it to be – it's my life for as long as your Headmaster _allows_ me to be here!"

Jessica threw the last remaining book on her bed to the floor, not caring how petulant it seemed. Her eye stung from unshed tears and she realised she was telling the truth. Truth was stranger than fiction and the truth was that more than anything, Jessica Newkirk wanted to anywhere but here.

…**xxxXXXxxx…**

A month later Jessica was fully healed and it was McGonagall who showed her to her new home at Hogwarts. She was being housed in a rather discreet location that would afford her a great deal of privacy away from prying eyes and enquiring minds. The stranger followed politely as McGonagall showed her around the rooms. Despite the huge numbers of rooms in the castle, Jessica was not given anything that was particularly spacious; the old one bedroom flat in Fulham was bigger than what would be her home within these walls. But she couldn't complain. Things could have been much worse.

"I hope you will find your accommodation satisfactory," McGonagall said crisply.

The rooms were bland and threadbare. Only the basics were set out and it was clear that Jessica would have to make do until she could afford to spruce things up if she so chose. Once a stranger, always a stranger, Jessica thought. She nodded, not trusting herself to speak. She listened for the tell-tale sound of the click of the locks once McGonagall crossed the threshold and then threw herself down on the old sofa that sat near the unlit fireplace in the sitting room.

Only after McGonagall's footsteps faded away did it occur to her that perhaps the last thing Dumbledore or any of them really wanted was for her to feel like Hogwarts, and by extension their world, was now truly her home.

…**xxxXXXxxx…**

Snape walked sullenly across the grounds one cold, windswept Friday afternoon just before the Christmas holidays. As tended to be the case these days, his mind wandered back to the stranger – the wonder that was Jessica Newkirk. She was miraculous and had not a clue just how special she was. But of course, the Headmaster was very determined to continue with his charade until all options had been exhausted.

Dumbledore was no closer to finding out how Jessica Newkirk managed to survive traveling through the Stones than when she'd first tumbled into their midst. And now Miss Newkirk was proving to be quite the student, though given the circumstances she had very little choice.

There was still that something about her despite her palpable unhappiness. That something caused the Potions Master to think of her though it really was not prudent to do so. He kicked out frustratedly and his foot connected with something that wasn't a rock or bit of debris. From the ensuing howls of pain it seemed that some poor unfortunate creature that no doubt had wandered too far from its home in the Forbidden Forest.

Snape snarled a few curses under his breath and then bent down to see what damage he'd done. He looked at the creature with wide eyes once he recognised it for what it was.

"Hagrid – for Merlin's sake!" he hissed loudly as he scooped up the shivering little bundle of purple fluff that was now crying and tucked it under his robes. Unknown to him, the woman who preyed on his mind watched from her sitting room window.

The Potions Master turned around sharply and walked down a winding path that took him down to the hut where Hagrid lived. The Groundsman was the resident expert on magical creatures – certainly more knowledgeable than the actual Care of Magical Creatures Professor who was too long in the tooth to be teaching anymore.

Jessica watched discreetly from her window as Professor Snape made his way to Hagrid's and pounded on the door. Hagrid opened the door and then suddenly seemed quite alarmed. He ushered the professor in and she barely made out Snape placing the little ball of fluff on the table before the door was shut.

She walked back to her sofa and sat down, but found she could no longer concentrate on the Charms essay she was supposed to finish. Her mind wandered to the scene that she had just witnessed. It wouldn't do to come over with fan-girly thoughts about it. Snape was just doing what anyone would, of course he was. There was nothing more to what he'd just done than him doing the right thing. But the easiest thing he could have done, and the one thing that another type of person might have done would have been to just leave the unfortunate creature out in the freezing cold to die from its injuries.

Severus Snape was a lot of things, many of them not very nice, but he wasn't what he was all those years ago – in the time of the First War of Voldemort in the Wizarding world. He wasn't a cold-hearted Death Eater who only existed to do his Master's bidding. She really wanted to believe that – though given certain events in Book 6 she could easily think otherwise.

"You don't know that," she admonished herself out loud. "You don't know anything about him or anyone else…fucking Rapunzel locked up in her goddamn ivory tower!"

Jessica swept her books from the low table in front of her and then curled up on the sofa. She had not been sleeping for very long when there was a knock at her door. She reluctantly opened her eyes to the sight of a tall, thin figure in black crossing her threshold carrying a small basket, frowning at the books and quills strewn across the floor…she'd obviously had a fit a temper.

Snape didn't quite know what to say and just thrust the basket at her. Jessica looked at him wearily and then took the basket. As she peered beneath a makeshift blanket, she recognised the little purple ball of fluff resting peacefully.

The Potions Master looked around the room. If ever a room screamed out 'depression' it was this room – almost a mirror image to his own in Slytherin House.

"It is not impossible to gain some practical experience with magical creatures," Snape finally said by way of an excuse as he gestured idly to the basket. "And you will find such experience useful…"

Jessica didn't look at him as she gently stroked the little fluff and heard a distinct breezy sigh from it.

"Right," she replied, though she had serious doubts about the explanation she was being provided with. It wasn't like Snape to take so long in saying whatever he wanted said. "Looks like a Jarvey to me…"

Snape quirked an eyebrow. "Very good…"

Jessica held back a smirk. "I'll call him Harvey…"

"_Harvey the Jarvey?"_

Snape rolled his eyes and for the first time since arriving Jessica laughed. The more she looked at the cringing Potions Master the harder she laughed.

"As you know so little but are easily amused, it would seem a change of scenery would do you good," Snape said as the corners of his mouth twitched.

"Go on – you know you want to," Jessica roared crying with laughter at how much he was restraining himself from smiling. It was obvious to her that he wanted to.

"_Miss Newkirk…"_

"Can't deduct points from me, Professor…"

"Astute observation; but I can leave you here to further amuse yourself."

"_RIGHT!"_

"I take it you have come to your senses?"

"Are you…are you asking me out, Professor?"

Snape looked irritated and folded his arms across his chest.

"I am _taking_ you out – I don't see anyone else here."

"Gee, thanks…"

Jessica picked up the little fluffy ball and held it close to her, gently stroking its back. The Jarvey settled on her chest, uncurling slightly and resting its round head on dainty paws that were more like fingers. She looked at it closely.

"He looks like a Teletubby and very furry one at that…only without the thingy at the top of his head"

"A _what_?"

"Teletubby – Teletubbies was a very popular children's tv programme years ago aimed at toddlers It was rubbish really; the characters spoke this baby language in these tiny baby voices and there was no point to any of the episodes I had a peep at. And there was nothing educational about it – maybe that's why the kiddies went mad for them. Tinky Winky, Dipsy, Laa-Laa, and Po…god almighty even their names were stupid…_Over the hills and far away, the Teletubbies come to play_…"

"Mummy?" came a pitiful little squeak.

Jessica nearly dropped the poor thing from shock. "Jesus Christ – he sounds like one too!"

"Mummy?" the Jarvey asked again tearfully.

"Severus – he's lost isn't he? Harvey can't be more than a baby…"

"It is true that he is an infant," Snape said thoughtfully, though inwardly he was recovering from the shock of hearing his name from her lips for the first time. Coming from her it sounded – nice. "But to have been on the grounds as he was it seems a reasonable assumption that he was cast out and left to die."

"That's horrible!" Jessica said as she looked tenderly at the crying creature. "Why…?"

"He is unusually small and quite gentle, traits most unbecoming to his kind. Suffice it to say he was rejected for being weak. Hagrid can provide more information on the subject."

"_Mummy?" _

"He seems to be rather attached to you Miss Newkirk."

Jessica opened her mouth in astonishment. She had read about Jarveys and was well aware of their fragility in infancy, their ferociousness notwithstanding. Hagrid must be very good with creatures, she thought, for Harvey to still be alive. This Jarvey would never be the fearsome, rude, aggressive menace that his kind generally was. He was an anomaly in this world – just like she was.

"No child should be left to fend for themselves," she muttered. "He was abandoned relatively recently then; he couldn't have survived for very long on his own. He needs his mother…a mother…he needs someone to look after him."

His face unreadable, Snape nodded and then sat down next to her.

"I'll take care of you," she said softly cradling the trembling little ball and gently rocking it to sleep.

"Your instincts are sound ones," Snape said quietly after a time watching them. "It would seem you have quite a gift in empathy and caring, Miss Newkirk."

Jessica smiled faintly and then began to sing softly. Snape watched as the Jarvey was lulled into a deep slumber.

"Another gift…" Snape muttered.

Jessica looked at him questioningly.

"Your voice," the Potions Master said softly, looking away from her.

Without thinking twice about it Jessica Newkirk leaned over, turned his face to hers and gave Professor Snape a kiss; his first in a very long time.


	7. Out of the Cauldron

**Plot, new characters, new magical terms and abilities etc. are my intellectual property. If you want to borrow then please kindly ask. JK Rowling's characters and Wizarding Universe are all uniquely hers.**

**Summary: AU: What if everything we ever read in JK Rowling's books was real – including the people characterised? What would you do if you found yourself caught up in that reality knowing what was to come? SS, RL, OC **

**Fantasy/Drama**

**This story is rated R/M.**

**ENIGMA**

**Chapter 007: Out of the Cauldron…**

Snape tried not to think about that kiss in the run up to Christmas. And the more he tried not to think about it, the more his mind wandered when he was in the sanctity of his rooms. Miss Newkirk had turned his face to hers and kissed him. At first it was a simple brushing of the lips – but he then he felt something… He did feel and it was quite something to be doing so.

If only McGonagall hadn't chosen that exact moment to come calling…

Miss Newkirk hadn't gone out of her way such as to offer any semblance of a pretense about his presence so close to her in her quarters. The energy between them was undeniable to anyone who cared about such things; but McGonagall didn't. The Potions Master didn't rate in her estimation, he had always known that. And so it didn't occur to her to think anything of the fact that he was seated closer to Miss Newkirk than was appropriate.

Perhaps he was brooding unnecessarily. After all, he had replaced Miss Newkirk's text and note books on the table where they belonged shortly after his arrival and he was her tutor along with McGonagall. Given that she was still locked away and they had no choice but to meet in her rooms there was no need fretting over nothing.

_Nothing_ – a gross understatement if there ever was one.

His gift to Miss Newkirk was proof of that; _Harvey the Jarvey_. Something else McGonagall did not seemed too fussed about.

'_What the hell was I thinking,' _he admonished himself over and over since that afternoon.

'_The same thing you are now,' _came the answer. _'You like her; and you want her to like you even though part of you thinks you shouldn't…'_

…**xxxXXXxxx…**

Jessica tried not to think about Professor Snape as she made her way to the Library for work in her new job at Hogwarts. She hadn't seen him since McGonagall had almost burst in on them that afternoon before the Holidays and had been working now two weeks. That kiss, God Almighty that kiss; the stuff that the Snape-fuelled dreams of fan girlies were made of. She knew she hadn't imagined that Snape actually responded to her impulsiveness; no she most certainly hadn't.

At first it was just a gentle kiss; and then – it changed. His mouth had opened hers or her mouth had opened his – _whatever _– their tongues had engaged. Their mouths and tongues were the only parts of their bodies touching and yet both felt…_something_…and fairly intensely too.

Then McGonagall had knocked at the door and their heads snapped back. There wasn't even time for them to jump to opposite ends of the sofa before the Deputy Headmistress stepped through. McGonagall either hadn't picked up on the sexual tension between them or she just didn't care. It was more likely the former with a heavy dose of the latter. Snape was someone McGonagall had to tolerate and deal with because of Dumbledore and she kept the ancient rivalry between Gryffindor and Slytherin alive as much as any student in both Houses. But when it came to people's private lives – it was none of her business.

The faculty and staff apparently had private lives, not the books ever provided any clue to that even though Rowling herself did in interviews. But Jessica was not privy to that – not just yet. For all she knew, Snape had a secret lover or many. He could be married with a wife and child or a few hidden away. She just didn't know, not yet. But damn him if he wasn't really available and had given into her kiss anyway.

Jessica had at least gathered from the "Spinner's End" chapter in Book 6 that adults did not see him in the same way that Harry Potter did. But that was the fictional rendering of Severus Snape. She was dealing with the flesh-and-blood reality. And this Snape didn't exactly fit the mold that Rowling wrote from the boy's perspective.

The more time she spent with him, the more obvious it was.

'_What the hell was I thinking,' _she had admonished herself over and over since that afternoon when she kissed the fearsome Potions Master.

'_The same thing you are now,' _came the answer. _'You like him; and you want him to like you even though part of you thinks you shouldn't…'_

…**xxxXXXxxx…**

"How is Miss Newkirk doing?" Dumbledore asked McGonagall in a meeting several weeks into the start of the new term that also involved Professors Snape and Lupin.

"She has done very well under our tutelage…" McGonagall answered gesturing to Snape. "As I expected she would."

"You have had high expectations for someone not known to you, Professor."

"Encourage nothing and that is exactly what you'll get, Dumbledore."

"Severus?"

"Headmaster?"

"Your assessment of Miss Newkirk if you would be so kind…"

"As with anyone – some things seemed to come to her easier than others. But she has done far better than I would have expected. I myself have challenged her as I would any other student, and she has met them all."

Snape had never encouraged anything of any student except the odd one or two from his House on occasion. And he certainly hadn't been encouraging with Miss Newkirk; quite the contrary.

Dumbledore leaned back in his chair and then poked a silvery globe on his desk.

"It is time she started to find her way in our world," McGonagall said breaking the silence. "The story of her life and how she has come to be here is sound and logical, I think you will agree. She has already had several encounter with Hermione Granger since starting; no problems whatsoever. If Jessica can handle her, she can handle anyone."

Snape nodded his agreement. If there ever was someone born too smart for their own good, it was certainly that insufferable know-it-all Gryffindor. The mere sight of her bushy hair and chipmunk buck teeth made his stomach churn.

McGonagall detailed the personal history she for Jessica with a bit of input from Professor Snape. Given what was suspected to be coming, his contributions were very necessary. Jessica would be said to be a Half-blood witch who was a distant relative of the Deputy Headmistress' on her father's side. Given her impressive knowledge of Scots Gaelic and spot-on usage of Highlands slang complete with brogue it was more than feasible. The Nanticoke and Lenni Lenape still remaining on America's East Coast had embraced numerous Brits, Irish and Scandinavians into their tribes and culture and in this reality that was still the case. Given the fairly exotic looks of Jessica with her dark honey-coloured skin, long dark reddish-brown hair and large chestnut brown eyes with a hint of green, one could see that history come to life.

The story would go that she was originally from America, and had been raised in a completely Muggle environment. She had spent the last few years in England, working at the British Library in London where her aunt had made her acquaintance through a relative. As McGonagall got to know her cousin and observe her at her work at the renowned and respected institution, it occurred to her that Jessica might want more of a challenge and responsibility than her role with the Library offered. With Dumbledore's blessing after meeting with her several times, the decision was taken to offer her the role of Library Sciences Administrator at Hogwarts. In many important ways she was superceding Madam Pince, who barely managed to get books up on shelves let alone in any logical order. The Hogwarts Library was also seriously short in acquisitions, even of the Muggle kind, despite the impressive budget the Librarian had been given to work with.

"Quite ingenious," Lupin said with a nod. "Using elements of her own background makes it far easier."

"Well – next on the agenda is a visit to London and the Library in particular. Then she will need to visit her home town. It is important for Jessica to see what her life would have been like as a Muggle in this realm. No doubt there are differences between this world and the one from which she comes."

"I agree, " Dumbledore replied before popping a Sherbert Lemon into his mouth along with a bit of fuzz. "There is no time like the present. Severus, I will leave it up to you. Minerva – if you would be so kind as to accompany me to the meeting with the board of governours. Fortunately we need not consult them on this appointment being as inconsequential as it is… Remus, Severus…"

Snape seemed slightly stunned to be so abruptly dismissed and gave only a slight acknowledgement before sweeping from the room ahead of Lupin. He had been avoiding Miss Newkirk not wanting to face her until he had resolved within himself precisely what that kiss meant. It should not mean anything, he had told himself over and over; but it meant something.

Whatever it meant, he just didn't want to be facing it and certainly not now. But he had been given a directive and he couldn't ignore it.

…**xxxXXXxxx…**

Several days later on a rainy windswept Saturday, Professor Snape sought out the company of Jessica Newkirk. It would be the first time they faced each other since that fateful afternoon of impulses on both sides.

Snape found Jessica in the farthest reaches of the vast Hogwarts Library, having wrongly assumed she would take the first opportunity she had within her newfound freedom to escape out of doors. He had grossly underestimated her and once again she was proving him wrong.

She was seated at a table with her head in her hands and nearly jumped out of her skin when he touched her on the shoulder. Jessica looked up at him with bloodshot eyes and slightly red face.

"Has something happened?" Snape asked in a heated rush. "Has someone done you harm?"

His answer was a simple shake of her head as Jessica's eyes welled up with tears. She got up and moved to the only window in the spacious room and leaned her head against it.

"Miss Newkirk?"

There was no answer, just a faint hiccup and twitch of her shoulders.

"_Jessica…_I can't help you if you withhold information from me…"

Snape reigned in his impulse to flee from her emotionalism and found himself placing his hands on her shoulders and turning her to face him.

"I'm s...s…sorry," she hiccupped. "I'm s…s… such…a….s…s…s…stupid…ddd...idiot!"

Jesus Christ, she'd almost said 'dunderhead'…

"You are nothing of the kind; what you are is upset and I want to know why."

Jessica swallowed and tried to pull herself together. Instead she collapsed against Snape and cried into his robes. Snape held his arms up and looked around. Knowing full well no one would ever find them back there, he did the only thing he knew that would make a difference.

He put his arms around Jessica and held her close, telling her softly that everything would be all right.

…**xxxXXXxxx…**

"How am I ever going to be able to do my job without magic?" Jessica sniffed as Snape placed a hand at the back of her head and rubbed gently. Doing so brought a long-buried memory back to him. As quickly as it came, he willed it away. There was nothing to be gained in resurrecting things dead and buried. The only thing that mattered was Jessica.

"How will I ever be able to do _anything_ in this world without magic? That horrid woman – she said the most…vile…awful…things about me. She won't listen to a thing I say!"

Snape had seen this coming; he had warned McGonagall about Pince. The best the Deputy Headmistress could say was that the two women would just have to learn how to get on. As he held Jessica in his arms, a thought came to him. He had been thinking about Jessica and her background. Of particular interest was her bloodlines. He had done some research and had a theory of two he thought worthy of merit. The only person he wanted to speak to for the moment about them was Jessica herself.

"Come," he said softly. "We can discuss this somewhere far less exposed."

Jessica nodded her agreement and sniffed.

"Aren't you worried about someone seeing us together?"

Snape looked at her and then away. Finally he met her gaze once more.

"No; and neither should you be."

He placed a hand on her lower back and steered her out of the room and towards the Great Hall. Once there he conjured heavy cloaks and outerwear for them both and then lead her in the direction she knew without a doubt was Hogsmeade.

…**xxxXXXxxx…**

Snape took Jessica to the Three Broomsticks, which was heaving with trade.

"Sorry – no private salons available. They were all booked for Christmas parties…" Rosmerta explained between serving customers.

As there were no tables free, Snape was going to take Jessica to a small inn near the outskirts of town. But they kept walking past their destination and both tried not to think of what lay over the hills in the distance: the Standing Stones of Loch Looemond.

"I won't try and stop you," Snape said impulsively as they began their ascent of the last hill; **the** hill.

The wind whipped through their hair and Jessica felt a chill that had nothing to do with the cold.

"Do you hear it?" she asked as they stood at an angle to the parallel stones._ "The chaos?"_

Snape nodded and then looked at her. For the first time since she had met him, he looked almost…afraid. He had been here a few times and not once had he ever heard anything like it. But he was hearing it now – and there was no doubt in his mind that Jessica was the reason for that.

"Hold on to me," she pleaded as she reached out a hand and moved slowly towards the stones.

Snape grabbed onto her hand so tight it went numb. As he watched Jessica moved in the stones.

"**NO!"** he shouted._ "No – please!"_

She seemed to fade from view as the Stones pulled her in. He could only feel her hand now. Her disappearing scared him and he grabbed her back hard lest he fall in with her, causing them both to fall to the ground. He held onto the now trembling figure in his arms. Hell, he was shaking harder than she was. After a few minutes they stood.

"I meant what I said – I…I won't try to stop you…" he croaked.

"I don't want to go," Jessica said firmly.

Snape looked at her incredulously. "Your world…all that you know…"

Jessica shook her head 'no' and clutched his hand. Snape pulled her close and turned their backs on the stones. The noise died down and all around them it was still save for the seasonal wind chilling them to the bone along with rain turning into heavy snowfall.

"Well, that's that. I can't go back now," Jessica sniffed. "I could do with a hot drink…"

"So could I," Snape said as they began their descent and the long walk to Hogsmeade.

"I have one question, and then we will never speak of it unless you want to," he said as he plunged their hands into a pocket of his cloak and held onto her as they moved forward against the wind.

"Sure…"

"That noise – have you any idea what it is?"

There was nothing but silence as they walked as fast as they could to get indoors as soon as possible.

"I know what it is; I've always known what it is…" Jessica admitted.

"What?" Snape asked hesitantly.

"The people that didn't make it…"

…**xxxXXXxxx…**

They made the Wizard's Head Inn just before sunset. Wanting maximum privacy, both agreed that what was needed was a room rather than a table in the dining room. After registering as Mr. and Mrs. Harvey they made their way quickly to their room for some much needed rest and solitude.

Snape ordered a refilling pot of Earl Grey tea and hot rolls with butter along with fried chicken and chips for each of them. For dessert there would be hot apple crumble. They had stripped down; donned bathrobes provided by the inn and hung their wet things to dry before settling down in front of the fireplace. Their presence wouldn't be missed; as it was the weekend their presence wasn't compulsory at meals, something that had come as a great shock to Jessica. That was as much a shock as walking into the Great Hall for the first time and taking her seat at the lower end of the staff table at the front of the room.

Jessica prepared their cups of tea and the scones once the tray appeared on a small table near the fireplace in their room. All pretenses between them were well and truly dropped as Snape placed moved the table nearer the sofa as they warmed up under several blankets.

"Having experienced it for myself, I can understand why you made no mention of it before," Snape said, breaking the comfortable silence between them.

"Judging by your reaction I did the right thing. I know exactly what Dumbledore is thinking – whoever gets me gets to travel through the stones. Well it isn't that simple – and you understand why now."

"I have never seen anything like what happened to you – or heard of anything so… I just don't have the words Jessica."

"It broke my spirit – seeing those souls trapped in…time…"

Snape looked at her wide-eyed. "You weren't unconscious when you came through? And you saw _souls_? One cannot _see _a soul – it is a metaphysical impossibility!"

"No; only towards the end – when I was coming out of it. I was conscious of hurling through…I don't know…space and time?...and then being thrown out. As I came out everything went black. But I can't explain how I knew what they were…it's like when you Vision Quest; the spirits know you so you just have this innate understanding of…what it _is _surrounding you."

"Your background," Snape said slowly, thinking it through as they tucked into their dinner. "You are Native American and your tribe is the Nanticoke/Lenni Lenape…and the spirits – you are connected to them…"

"In a manner of speaking; it kills me the way you wizards think; like no one else in the world has magic except you. There are other kinds of magic you know, at least in my world their is. And for all the magic you have – you people seemed to be really cut off from the spirits from which it comes. You speak of souls and yet you don't really have one; not individually and certainly not as a people."

"Hmmph – perhaps… the spirituality that spawned our practices has long been lost except in books…most of which are hidden in the depths of the Hogwarts library awaiting your discovery."

"For which Hermione Granger will no doubt be eternally grateful…"

"_Please_…the evening was going so well…"

Snape looked as painful as Jessica knew he felt. Though the most respectful by far of the trio that was Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Granger; Jessica knew that the Potions Master couldn't stand the bushy-haired wonder any more than the other two. She couldn't blame him really. The real Hermione Granger was just as much an insufferable know-it-all as her fictional counterpart.

"I'm sorry," Jessica said with a faint smile. "Am I forgiven?"

"I'll think about it," Snape said as the corners of his mouth twitched.

They were done with their meal and leaned back on the sofa looking at and listening to the crackling of the flames warming them. Jessica yawned.

"Tired?" Snape asked looking over at her.

"Yes – a bit…"

"We could Apparate; there would only be about a mile or so to walk to get to the gates…"

"…and then about another to get to the castle…"

Both fell silent and Snape became aware of just how close they were to each other.

"Are you married?" Jessica blurted out suddenly.

"Am I _what_!"

"Are you married? Do you have a girlfriend? Do you have any children? I don't want to get hurt!"

"_Me?_ What about you! I know nothing about you and yet I feel I know all ought to! It's not right and I don't like it, Jessica!"

"You don't like what!"

"_I don't like not having control! I don't like having feelings **again** and for someone who will never love me and will just **leave** me here to rot or die like…"_

"Like who, Severus?" Jessica asked, even though deep down she had a suspicion, and a very strong one at that.

Snape shook his head 'no' and turned to the fire. He did not want her to see _this_, dammit! He did not want her to see just how much she made him_ feel_. He liked her, he liked her a lot and it was almost painful knowing how unhappy she had been – until the day he came to her with her beloved Harvey. Everything changed for them both and between them that day and no thanks to him. He started to push off the blankets but Jessica place a hand on his arm.

"We can't go through this again, Severus. We can't avoid each other only to come together again and then go through it again and again… We are both too old for this and I think we have both probably suffered enough without bringing more on ourselves…"

Severus looked at Jessica and seeing the visible emotion on her face and the strength it was taking not to use the oldest of feminine ploys (tears) and sat down.

"Why me?" he asked in a hoarse whisper.

"Why not you? All I want is for some semblance of happiness in my life, don't you?"

"I gave up all illusions and pretenses about such things long ago."

"I don't doubt it; so did I."

Realising that if anyone needed to take a step towards openness it was her, Jessica told Severus about her marriage and the ensuing aftermath when she found herself vagrant on the streets of London. She did not speak of her life before the move to England, and he suspected that the stories she could tell were much darker indeed. By the time she was through with what little she was willing to share, he truly understood what a brave and strong woman she really was.

"I don't know how to be anything other than I am," Jessica said softly after he told her as much. "I never had anyone around me who could be strong for me; who could be the comfort that I could turn to. It's always me doing the work; me sacrificing everything for people who weren't worth it. Nothing worthwhile ever came from my sacrifices and still I kept on even when I knew it was pointless…"

"_Just as you are now."_

Jessica didn't answer. How could she possibly comment on how the man saw himself?

"Why are you staying, Jessica?"

Still more silence.

"Answer me – there is a reason you did not take the only chance you might ever have to escape. You are not entirely happy here. _Why are you staying_?"

"Because I've never run from anything in my life and I am not about to start now. This is my life now and I intend to make the most of it."

Severus looked faintly disappointed at her answer, deeming it evasive and ill-defined. "I don't want to say anything that will make you regret staying if…_things_…go pear-shaped."

"I'll never blame you for my unhappiness unless you give me a reason to," Jessica replied, standing. "If the only reason I stay is you then I am doomed already. I have been down that road one too many times, Severus."

But Severus did have a point: once again she was starting over following the vague influence of her heart. Jessica walked the few steps to the large antique bed and eased herself beneath the covers. Once settled, her bathrobe was thrown casually to the floor and she turned on her side.

Snape stood and disrobed and then crossed the room and stood before her. Jessica moved over next to the wall as he slid in next to her. She felt the warmth of his body, as thin as it was, as he pulled her into his arms. He didn't have to ask her how she felt about him, if she really wanted a relationship of intimates. If he had needed to ask – _that _would have been answer enough to his question.

He realised that he had not answered her question. Secrets – so many secrets never brought to light in all these years of play-acting.

"I am not married," he said quietly. "Nor have I a lover."

He stoked strands of hair from one of Jessica's cheeks and pushed back her fringe.

"Such big eyes," he murmured. "That seem to bore right through me…"

'_How could they not,'_ Jessica thought to herself, _'Given what I actually do seem to know about you…about all of this…'_

Jessica wisely opted to remain silent and let Severus speak as he chose. She had never seen him in such a relaxed and dare she say it, open, mood in all the time she had spent with him.

"I did, however, father a child…" he blurted out suddenly. "He died along with his mother, during a time of great conflict and upheaval in our world."

He looked at her guardedly. Jessica leaned in and gently traced his mouth with a finger.

"I lost a child," she admitted quietly. "When I was with Dave…because of him…"

The tears which had been reigned in began to fall freely.

"Did you want to even have a child with him – in spite of everything he put you through?" Severus asked as their bodies moulded to each other. They began to caress each other, not taking their eyes off each other.

"No. But I had health problems and I really believed that I couldn't have a baby, so when I found out I was pregnant it was a shock. He couldn't be bothered with birth control and we used to row over it endlessly. I kept on taking it even though I had really bad side effects. Then I just figured there was no point to taking it because were weren't sleeping together much and when it happened on occasion it wasn't…. I told you already… Anyway, the doctors all had me convinced I would never have a child.

I feel so ashamed because I just felt so… _relieved_… I knew sooner or later we would split and I didn't want any ties to him. I didn't want a child that would remind me of him for the rest of my life. Even when I was at my lowest out on the street – he did _nothing_ to help me! I still don't regret not carrying to term."

"I didn't love her," Severus whispered. "I felt nothing for her. I had only turned to her because of…"

"_Not having someone else…" _Jessica offered bravely. "And she knew it, but was just determined to make you love her…"

Severus closed his eyes and nodded faintly.

"Her life would have been far different had I left well enough alone. There was someone else who loved her truly; and who truth be told needed her in a way I never did. It is not a relationship I would have ever approved of, not that it mattered. But there was someone who at least felt what I never could for her. I did not intend on siring a child with, be that as it may it happened. I am not proud of the way I treated her – but I did…"

"…love…"

Severus nodded.

"I did…_love_…my son – for what little time he lived…"

"So this woman – the woman who had your child – even though you didn't love her, and she knew that you really wanted someone else; she couldn't leave well enough alone and she made herself available…and then just_ 'happened' _to fall pregnant…"

"In a manner of speaking, yes."

"One of the oldest tricks in the book…"

The look on Severus' face was unmistakable. "I have never revealed that to another living soul!"

"Obliviate me if it will make you feel better."

"No," he whispered, turning her onto her back and then moving between her legs.

"Are you with me, only wanting to be with…_her_? The one you really wanted…"

"No," Severus answered truthfully. "I have come to terms with that particular aspect of the situation…"

'…_and Harry Potter is the only remaining aspect that you are having to face isn't it…'_ Jessica thought as Severus began to kiss her.

She banished all thoughts about their revelations and focused her attention on the reality that it was the Potions Master now making love to her. It was Severus moaning that he didn't want her to leave; that he did care for her and that he needed her trust him, to have faith in him.

It was the stuff of a fan girl's dreams and Jessica Newkirk was savouring every second of it.


	8. Into the Fire

**Plot, new characters, new magical terms and abilities etc. are my intellectual property. If you want to borrow then please kindly ask. JK Rowling's characters and Wizarding Universe are all uniquely hers.**

**Summary: AU: What if everything we ever read in JK Rowling's books was real – including the people characterised? What would you do if you found yourself caught up in that reality knowing what was to come? SS, RL, OC **

**Fantasy/Drama**

**This story is rated R/M.**

**ENIGMA**

**Chapter 008: Into the Fire…**

What feels right in the darkness of night can often seem otherwise by the cold light of day. As Jessica and Severus woke up to the reality of their night together, both were more than a bit concerned that their relationship would prove to be fragile.

Jessica was the first to awaken and in a blind panic she crawled over Severus to get to her clothes, waking him up.

"What's going on? Where are you going?" he asked not hiding confusion mingled with more than a bit of hurt.

"Don't you want me to leave?" Jessica sniffed with her back to him.

"Why would I want that? Jessica – please turn around and talk to me!"

"Because…I'm a Muggle and we weren't thinking last night!"

"_Merlin's Beard – give me strength," _Severus sighed huskily. "Come here…"

Jessica slowly turned around, but still didn't look at the man she had given her heart and soul to. She shook her head 'no' and it was then that Severus realised she was crying. He tossed aside the covers and reached her in three quick strides.

"We need to talk, Jessica, and I do not fancy having a conversation with myself. We are adults you and I, remember?"

"I'm no good for you! It will never work! Even though it feels so right and I want you so much – it will never work!"

Severus took a step back and looked at her. And in an instant he realised, she knew.

_She knew!_

It was bound to happen sooner or later with the job she had. There were more than enough chronicles of the First War of Voldemort and the ensuing trials and Hogwarts had them all. Besides which, more than a few people had not forgotten that he was named by Ivor Karkaroff as one of the Dark Lord's Death Eaters. He had been, but that was another time and under entirely different circumstances. While it was true that one was a Death Eater for life, bound by a magical brand of a tattoo to Voldemort; Severus Snape on the cusp of 40 was not the same as he was when he left Hogwarts, looking for affirmation and respect in the wrong places.

"After all that was said, all that I did – it meant nothing to you!" he hissed darkly as he grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her hard. "Goddamn it answer me!"

"Please – you're hurting me!"

Just then there was a creaking of boards somewhere down the hallway outside their room. Severus took a deep breath and willed himself to calm down. Now was not the time to lose control. This situation was salvageable. Perhaps he should have thought a lot more about the reality of who it was he was risking so much for. But his emotions were as deeply complex as he was. Into the darkness had come light – and he was not so willing to go back to the barrenness that was the only existence he had known for so many years.

Seeing the obvious effect she was having on him Jessica knew she had no choice but to move into the dangerous territory that was his criminal past. Fortunately for her, she had come across information in the Hogwarts Library; there was no way she could ever reveal how well-known he and his world were in her own. At best he would think her mad, at worst mental or the very worst a Dark Witch perpetuating a fraud. She had to be careful, very careful indeed. Things were looking very wrong in the cold light of day, but it seemed Severus had no intention of just letting it go or pretending that what happened between them hadn't.

"One of the first archives I worked on was about this – war – with erm You-Know-Who. I read everything about his rise, and about his followers and their atrocities," she said in a choked voice. "I also read what I suppose was their Manifesto. It was hard stuff and nothing I haven't seen or heard before where I come from – but then again my people are used to systematic apartheid and extermination…" she said quietly so that her voice wouldn't carry.

Severus looked up at her and to Jessica's surprise he almost seemed – distraught. He wasn't cold and disconnected as he tended to be so that was a good thing, she supposed.

"I am not the same person I was back then…" he whispered taking her hands in his. "I know that things have been said about me, against me, in your presence…"

"I know you are a nasty piece of work, Severus Snape; I am not fooling myself for one minute about what you are like. I've seen you in action one too many times, especially with anyone you really dislike. But I do think that wizards made you what you are as much as you yourself have…"

Snape looked at her curiously and Jessica realised that she was skating on thin ice – very thin ice. She needed to explain that and fast; it was obvious that what she had read was colouring everything she said and did. It needed to stop.

"None of us exists in a vacuum by ourselves. It's too easy to say that people are born this way or that; that they alone are responsible for who they are. But my people have a saying: it takes a village to raise a child. I have always believed that. In my culture – all the adults are responsible for each child. And each of the adults has a responsibility to the others as well. I'm not saying we get it right – hell _we have so many problems and it's exactly because of what has been done to us for centuries_. However, part and parcel of who we are is honouring and respecting ourselves as much as we do Mother Earth, Father Sky and everything in between and beyond. Our spirits are tended to and its just our way of life.

Here I see kids left to just get on with learning and growing. And they are left to their own devices in a way without having their parents or guardians around them. The guiding hand comes from Prefects, Head Boys and Girls – yes you have the Heads of Houses and the Headmaster and Deputy Headmistress – but kids are left by and large to grow under the directive of other kids. And I know what kids are like, right, especially behind the backs of authority figures. There is a lot of anarchy and madness that teachers just don't get to see. Even in a magical world – people are people. And I would wager that most people going through Hogwarts have to deal with a lot of crap – nothing about the place is fluffy and light… I see it's like that now and times may change, but certain types of behaviours don't. I see what you are like now, and it makes me believe that growing up here wasn't easy for you. There was something or a few things that drove you to join this…gang of metaphysical terrorists…and to do things that I know are not discussed in civilised company… There is no spirituality here – no sense of the spirits – and something about that just doesn't seem…right…"

Severus sat down on the bed, his legs slightly open and his head bowed. Jessica had struck a nerve. She seemed to just understand so much about him and his existence even without having even the most minor of details. It was a gift – a truly wondrous gift to be able to have so much insight. But as much as it was a blessing for her, it was a curse to him. It wasn't so easy to hide with her – but then again perhaps he did not want to. It was easy to care for someone when all seemed right and well with them; but he was a different proposition altogether. He used to believe he could never feel for or respect anyone who would be with him knowing what he was – and what he had done. Being with Jessica – he didn't want to believe that anymore.

And yes, she was a Muggle; and yes, she would have been amongst the hated and hunted of the Dark Lord's. But if the time should come to pass when the reign of terror began again, he would do whatever it took to ensure she survived, even if it meant doing the one thing he feared most: sending her back through the stones. However, he did have his ideas about that situation and her existence in this world. They had not spoken about it but they would. He owed it to her to speak with her first before going to Dumbledore.

_Dumbledore._

Merlin only knew what he would make of this. But they would cross that bridge if and when they needed to.

"I would like to say it is not like me to be reckless," Severus said softly. "But I was when I joined him. I cannot even use the excuse that I was under duress; I went to him willingly and every day since I have paid a terrible price. It will never matter to some that I 'saw the light' as it were and turned spy at great risk for the Headmaster. It matters – to me it most certainly does matter."

"You may have seen the light, Severus. But I am who I am. I am not magical – I am not one of you! I am not even a Muggle from this world! And I don't think your Dark Lord would look kindly upon your fornication with a Muggle – now would he?"

The Potions Master looked up and took a deep breath.

"Hardly," he rasped quietly. His head went down again and curtains of long inky black hair somewhat obscured his face. "But you _are_ different, Jessica…"

"How?"

"_Last night…"_

Jessica moved forward and stood between his legs. Severus leaned against her with his head on her stomach and his arms went around her waist as she held him and stroked his hair.

"I should go back through the Stones; nothing good can come of me being in this world. It's too big a risk…"

There was a slight twitching of Severus' shoulders. He was not going to beg her – one moment of dunderheadedness had been enough. Jessica made a move to disentangle herself and he held on tightly.

"If the Headmaster believed that I assure you we would not be together now; he would have resolved the situation when he came upon you."

"And that makes it alright does it?"

"Jessica – it is me taking the risk now; ME! I will do whatever I have to – to see this through! You made a sacrifice for me – let me be the one to finally make one for you!"

"But that's just it, Severus! I don't want you to get hurt because you fucked a Muggle! I'm not worth that!"

Snape laughed – a hollow, cold laugh.

"Is that what you believe it to be for me? If all I wanted was a shag, I could have quite easily gotten it elsewhere!"

"No! I don't believe that's what it was – and I don't doubt that you can get whatever it is that you set your mind to!"

Severus looked up at her, his black eyes resolute and his face a mask of steely determination.

"You have risked everything to remain here and you did it because of me – don't try to convince me otherwise because we both know that to be the case. No one has ever sacrificed or risked anything for me as you have – never! Not even… (Snape shook his head to keep from saying her name).

I promised myself a long time ago that if I was ever so fortunate such as to have the possibility of real love in my life I would do whatever it took to have it. I have a reason to go on for me now – it's no longer about vows and other people. I have struggled with how much I liked you – and how I wanted the same from you in kind. My mind was made up when returned from the Stones last night. Whatever is to happen or not happen is entirely up to you. You could – always escape to the Muggle world here since it seems you are not able to return to your own at the moment."

This wasn't the Snape of fiction or even fan fiction – this was the man who'd been a comforting presence for her from her first night in this world. It was one thing to write of forgiving him his sins and transgressions, it was another to be faced with it.

Was this just another instance of wanting to make a difference in the life of one who would never be worthy of it? Was she deluding herself based on the assumptions and musings of one too many fan fics? In fan fics the impossible was always made plausible when it came to the Potions Master, his character and romantic involvement. But this wasn't one of her stories. This was Severus' life and hers and their liaison was phenomenally dangerous.

And Book 7 wasn't a blip on anyone's radar screen except Jo Rowling's perhaps; the epilogue of Harry Potter's seven years at Hogwarts was still unknown in her world almost 13 years later. All of the unanswered questions about Severus Snape, his loyalties, and what really lay behind certain events in Book 6 had yet to be answered, if ever.

Jessica was having to take a tremendous leap of faith into the unknown with a man who would be on the run in just over three years' time – if, and only _if_, Rowling had been right.

_Rowling._

The more Jessica thought about this the more she wondered: _just how was it that JK Rowling knew of this world? _There was only one logical answer for that and it didn't bear thinking about. Still, what she had written seemed close enough to Jessica's experience. However, there were a number of things that were off and these things did make a difference. Perhaps Jessica was thinking too far ahead. Maybe none of those things would take place – only time would tell.

In the here and now she was faced with a decision.

Severus had given her another out and she could easily take it, but at what cost to her and the man willing to risk so much for her? Whatever she wanted, he was willing even at a detriment to himself. She was finally getting what she had wanted all her life – but with a man who was supposed to only exist in fiction.

He had given her another possibility she hadn't dared consider in all this time, no more than anyone else had. There was still the matter of her own existence in this realm; was there some accounting for her as a Muggle because she _was_ indeed _meant_ to be here? So many questions without answers; and she really needed those answers.

Jessica took a deep breath... and gave the one answer she knew to be right…


	9. Now You See Me

**Plot, new characters, new magical terms and abilities etc. are my intellectual property. If you want to borrow then please kindly ask. JK Rowling's characters and Wizarding Universe are all uniquely hers.**

**Summary: AU: What if everything we ever read in JK Rowling's books was real – including the people characterised? What would you do if you found yourself caught up in that reality knowing what was to come? SS, RL, OC **

**Fantasy/Drama**

**This story is rated R/M.**

**ENIGMA**

**Chapter 009: Now You See Me…**

"I can't imagine what it must be like for you… What it must be like – beyond the Stones…" Lupin said thoughtfully as he walked out of the Great Hall with Jessica after dinner one night several weeks later, stared at with the deepest of loathing by Snape.

"You aren't missing much," Jessica said bitterly. "We have an expression back home – but from the States: Same Shit Different Day…"

Lupin would have laughed had Jessica's anger not been so obvious and heart-felt.

"The only difference between your world and mine is the kind of magic you people have. The morality tales are all the same. But the thing that ups the stakes is what you people are capable of. Look at my job - books that scream, books that take a bite out of you, books that make you fall into a deep sleep if you aren't careful. You wizards just can't leave well enough alone when it comes to your magic. You seem to take great pleasure in doing absurd and dangerous things with it just because you can."

"I don't think I have ever heard our world described quite like that…"

"Ah, but I am not from your world…" Jessica said quietly.

"Most Muggles here would sell their souls to be where you are… They would be crying out to be like us with our dubious brand of magic; but not you. All this time and not one word about wanting what you don't have… wanting to be what you aren't."

"Correct me if I am wrong – but aren't all people thought to have a magical core of sorts – it's jut that Muggles have become disconnected from it? And even that's an entirely different proposition than a Squib…quite contradictory in some ways." Jessica said politely.

She'd read several interviews where Jo Rowling had said as much. She was taking a chance because so far she had yet to come across anything in the library that put forth that most intriguing of theories. Then again – how could she when so much of her time was spent surrounded by a backlog of paperwork when she was not sourcing materials in the stacks for Hogwarts' resident know-it-all.

"Well… in a manner of speaking…"

Jessica quirked an eyebrow.

"Yes," Lupin conceded. "In this world, yes…"

"In my world magic is from the realm of the spirits and its all around us in nature. We are a part of it and it is a part of us. The people who don't have it; who don't feel it; who don't know it are the people disconnected from the spirits. The spirits don't know them and they are lost. What is really sad is that they don't realise it… Even the ones who go into Church to pray – that prayer is magic. Lighting the candles is magic. Praising their Lord in song or even by chanting – that's magic too.

But they don't see that; instead many of the world's religions where I am from talk about magic being 'negative' and 'dark' – there is no light in it for them. Witchcraft to them is evil to them, but I think its because in the traditions that embrace it, the individual is personally responsible. With the World religions – you are born into 'sin' and need men and women to act as your intermediary between yourself and a higher power. But the old religions – we know that that what lies within us and all around us is power and it's good and evil, dark and light all at the same time. It's not about the nature of magic – it's how you use your knowledge of it."

Lupin stopped and looked at her in amazement.

"Erm – would you… would you like to meet up for tea sometime? I'd quite like to hear more about all this… I haven't had a discussion like this – ever…"

Jessica hesitated. She wasn't supposed to know that there was a history, a not very nice history, between Professors Lupin and Snape. Then again it was yet another assumption because of the books – and truth be told she hadn't seen enough of them in each other's company to gauge just how true that was in the here and now. According to fictional lore, Lupin liked to be liked – and that being his greatest fault is what caused him to sit idly by while his friends Sirius Black and James Potter bullied the young Severus Snape and used Snape's own self-created spells on him. But why should she turn her back on him just because of what she thought she knew? Lupin had been giving her a fair chance to prove herself with him and for all his shortcomings, was actually a really nice guy.

"I'm sorry – I shouldn't have been so forward," the werewolf said quietly looking away from her.

He knew for a fact that the stranger wasn't aware of what he was – the Headmaster had thought she'd enough to be dealing with without_ that_ particular situation being brought to light just yet. But it sure felt like she knew – like she knew and didn't want anything to do with him because of it.

Jessica had the faintest sense that Lupin was smarting a bit over her obvious hesitation.

"OK – you can always come and rescue me from Pince, that old hag…"

Lupin laughed, and Jessica thought how nice he looked when he had something to be happy about. But she wasn't about to make anything of the fact that she was the reason for it.

**xxxXXXxxx**

Several weeks had passed before Jessica saw Severus alone again. He had blown hot, very hot and then cold with her, making it difficult to know where she really stood with him. The only point of contact had been at meals and staff meetings. Other than that their paths did not cross; the night of intimacy at the inn might well have never happened with the seeming distance between them now. It was obvious – regardless of whatever had happened and been said, the reality was that he did not want her and perhaps all she had ever been to him was a shag.

In one of her fics, once the obstacle of gaining the Potions Master's affections had been conquered it was always full steam ahead regardless of any outside influences or interference. Once again, real life was proving far more difficult a proposition. She had listened to her heart, and it seemed that once again it had led her astray.

**xxxXXXxxx**

Jessica had returned to the library for more of her practical training after dinner one night when a familiar voice interrupted her work. A familiar voice laced with icy reserve.

"_Miss Newkirk_, I am in need of assistance," Snape said quietly.

No, their night of intimacy, secrets and undeniable passion had not happened as far as the Potions Master was concerned – that much was obvious. Knowing all too the emotionally immature game that she_ thought _was being played, Jessica refused to play.

"You will have to direct your enquiry to Madam Pince; she is on duty – I am not, _Professor_."

She looked him in the eye respectfully and then returned to the boxes of requests for books and periodicals that had never been fulfilled by the Library Assistant in question. Jessica's work was cut out for her and she knew she had a long road ahead – a very long and arduous road especially for one not magical. Her days and nights had been spent pouring over years of ignored paperwork. At least if they had been in some semblance of order she might have been alright; but there was no rhyme or reason, only unbelievable disarray. The last thing she needed was Snape coming around to give her a mind-fuck as only he could.

"Pince is nowhere to be found – no doubt wallowing in her Filtch-obsessed sorrows in a cauldron of Firewhiskey…"

Jessica's face very often betrayed what she felt or thought and now was no different. She was clearly beyond her tether at doing someone else's job for them – especially someone that went out of their way to be as unhelpful as possible.

"Then I am afraid you will have to either fill out another one of her request forms," Jessica answered as she gestured towards the heaving boxes of said forms, "or come back when it seems likely she will be at her post doing the job for which she is paid!"

She stood up so hard and fast several large stacks of boxes fell to the floor, ruining a lot of careful cataloguing. It was hard work and she'd been doing a minimum of 12 hours a day, far more than required. Then again, the guidelines were according to wizarding standards no doubt taking into account magical assistance – and she was not from this world.

"Fuck! Fuck, fuck, FUCK!" Jessica swore, her eyes brimming with unshed tears.

She barged past Snape, not caring what he thought but unwilling to cry in front of him again. She knew from fiction that this would be precisely the type of incident that would bring out the worst of his 'people skills': a sarcastic, sneering and very hurtful comment or a few.

She was walking so hard and fast that she did not register Snape calling after her. She smacked into something hard and stumbled, so lost was she in her fury.

"Miss…Jessica…please get a hold of yourself…" Snape said, trying to keep both of them from falling over. He'd used a charm to propel himself forward.

"Go on – have a go at me! That's what you do isn't it? Go on take the piss out of me because you know you can! _You don't care about me and you never cared – you're just like the rest of them so piss off and leave me alone!_"

Snape opened his mouth, but nothing came out except for a rather exaggerated hiss. His black eyes, usually fathomless and empty, sparked with anger. He pushed her from him and turned hard on his heels, leaving her to her work – just as she'd ordered.

"Damn it," she whispered in the dimness of the stacks near the front desk. Pince was there, pretty much in the same position as Jessica had left her in not long before Snape turned up. She was frowning and muttering over huge stacks of books that needed replacing on the shelves and haranguing students intermittently that tried to question her. And she did have a slightly pungent tang of Firewhiskey about her – she always did to anyone that cared about such things.

Too late Jessica realised that Snape's excuse for needing to see her was simply a ruse. Severus had wanted to see her – had wanted to talk to her. He'd come straight to her; and Jessica was so convinced that she was right before giving him a chance to prove himself either way that she blew the very opportunity she had been waiting in vain for.

Unable to focus and feeling more alone than ever, Jessica decided to go for a walk to clear her head, if not her heart.

**xxxXXXxxx**

As it was dark out, Jessica couldn't risk going out by herself. There were Dementor patrols outside the grounds of the school and in Hogsmeade now. It wasn't safe for anyone, but especially her. She hadn't appreciated how much danger she could have been in that first night in this world. She had arrived at just the right time and it saved her in more ways than one.

**xxxXXXxxx**

Jessica had just walked past the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom when a familiar voice called out to her.

"Jessica? Is that you?" Lupin asked sprinting to the door.

"Oh! You scared me – yes it is… Hi Remus, are you alright? Haven't seen you for a while…"

She liked Lupin the more she got to know him. They had become decent enough friends and enjoyed walking in the grounds and occasional visits to town together. He had been very concerned that she was working herself too hard and would stop by now and then with a teapot that refilled with Earl Grey Tea along with something to nibble from the kitchens. Many were the nights when Jessica simply worked through dinner. But the werewolf's pleasantness made a welcome change from the decided unfriendliness of Pince and aloofness of some of the other staff.

"Not too bad – been a bit under the weather…"

"Mmm hmm," Jessica said with an appraising nod.

Whenever she looked at him like that, Lupin got the distinct impression that she knew about his affliction. But as far as he knew no one still had told her. Dumbledore had given their colleagues strict instructions not to discuss it with anyone – not even amongst themselves – so there was no way she could have heard it even on the grapevine that was the Hogwarts gossip mill.

"How about you?" Lupin asked, ushering her through the room into his office. "How is that backlog coming along?"

Jessica's face fell. She had only gotten as far as she had because Lupin helped her. No matter how ill he must have felt or tired he really was from the rigours of teaching, he always made time to help her and she'd been most grateful. A few flicks of his wand and they had gotten through almost seven years worth of work – a far cry from what she'd been able to do on her own.

"I…Oh, Remus I'm so sorry…"

"Why would you have to apologise – and to me?"

"All our work – all our hard work – it's been… messed up. And it's my fault…"

"Jessica…please tell me you didn't," Lupin moaned.

"I know! I should have been more careful like you said – I need to sort out the archiving system along with everything else, but I just…" Jessica shrugged her shoulders and slumped into a chair by his desk.

"It's nothing that can't be fixed," Lupin said cheerfully. "Come on…tomorrow is another day and we can sort it out then…"

"Why the heck are you always so bloody cheerful?"

"Because being a misery guts is too much like work…"

**xxxXXXxxx**

Jessica awoke to the sound of yet more rain two days later. She gently eased Harvey's head off her shoulder and started to prepare for her day. Though still a little butterball of purple fluff, he had grown quite a bit and was now the size of a small Teddy Bear.

"Mummy leaving?" squeaked a little voice from the bed as she sat in front of her dressing table and plaited her long hair into one braid.

Jessica had tried in vain to get the Jarvey to stop calling her Mummy as much as she tried to get him to stop sleeping with her. But he persisted and Hagrid had advised her to let it go.

'_He's just a wee tyke, Jessica," the gentle giant had said. 'Don't know any better like any other kid I expect. And you're the only mother he's known really. Give him time; he'll grow out of it…'_

"I have to go to breakfast and then to work," Jessica explained. "I'll come back for a break and we'll go out, how about that?"

Harvey's face lit up and he held out his arms for a cuddle. The little Jarvey was too scared to venture out by himself, unlike those of his kind at his age. As there weren't others like him or other creatures he could be friendly with, his was a very lonely existence. Jessica at least had the company of other staff members and students; the situation of her companion was not lost on her. Harvey was not a pet, nor was he her child. He was what he was and each was very attached to the other. The morning after her night with Severus she'd returned feeling extremely guilty to find him crying his little eyes out calling for her, thinking she'd abandoned him. It had taken some doing to convince him she wasn't deserting him like his natural family had ever since. It would take some time for him to become independent, but Hagrid was convinced it could be done.

Jessica was very grateful to have Harvey in her life, something that never would have happened were it not for the Stones. Still, it was not lost on her that Stones or no, the real reason she had him was because of Severus Snape.

Harvey was a living reminder of the affection she'd thought she had from the Potions Master.

**xxxXXXxxx**

Dumbledore had called a staff meeting after breakfast on Saturday later that week to make up for one cancelled. Jessica had forgotten to bring the materials she'd prepared to hand out with her the night before and had to return to the library before the staff meeting. She looked around the room in which she'd been working the night before in shock. Shelving units of mahogany lined each side of the long room. Each unit was arranged alphabetically according to title and crossed reference to subject and the requestor. A wizarding contraption functioned as an Indexer and was set up on workstation in the middle of the room by a bank of large windows.

The job of sorting through the requests, organising, cataloguing and archiving them had been completed.

Decades of work had been done overnight.

**xxxXXXxxx**

Jessica and Lupin bumped into each outside the staff room and walked in together, laughing about some wizarding joke books she'd found as they took seats. Jessica noticed too late that they were sat right across from Severus. He hadn't spoken to her since their altercation in the library, but even that couldn't have been counted as a conversation.

'Damn it!' she thought to herself. There was nothing she could do but just deal with the animosity she knew was coming. Lupin leaned over and asked quietly if she would like to go for a coffee after the meeting. Jessica tried ignore the cold black eyes boring into them as she nodded 'yes'.

"Oh – I meant to thank you when I came in," Jessica said quietly. But not quiet enough so that Snape didn't manage to overhear every single word.

"Me? For what?"

"Everything you've done… I can't thank you enough for helping me…"

Lupin actually flushed a faint pink. "Wasn't much…"

"Doing all that and in one night wasn't much? Remus, you never cease to amaze me with your modesty…"

Jessica found her eyes being drawn to the dark figure across from her. Snape's countenance was a mask of loathing and outrage. Used to being ignored by him, she returned her attention to Remus.

"It wasn't me, honest. Pince is finally making the effort she should have," Lupin said as he handed her a hot cup of tea and several warm scones with butter and strawberry jam melting down their sides.

"Pince my foot! That old hag did nothing of the kind…"

"You really should give her the benefit of the doubt…"

"Right…" Jessica answered with an expression and tone that let Lupin know she wouldn't do any such thing. "I know you mean well, Remus. But there is no way that she did that – not after all these years and with me here. Come on – why let her take credit for your work!"

"If she didn't who did?" Remus asked pointedly. "It wasn't me, Jessica – although I wish I had thought of it. I figured we would do it together. But you're finally getting the help you need and I don't understand why the resistance in accepting it… Give her the chance to prove herself…"

"Leopards don't change their spots – and certainly not overnight! You'll need to do better than that to convince me that it was her."

"_Jessica…"_ Lupin said before taking two of the scrolls from a pile near them on the table and handing one to Jessica. He glanced down at the first section and was immediately sorry he'd said what he'd just said.

"I don't believe her!" Jessica hissed to him quietly after scanning the agenda. "Now do you see what I mean!"

"I do and I am sorry," he said ruefully. "Ready to show you up I imagine…"

Madame Pince had crossed off Jessica's name and replaced it with her own for the Library review. Jessica ignored the looks at her and whispers flying around the room as it became clear that her colleagues had read the agenda items also.

She had a bigger problem on her hands and wasn't aware of it: the matter of who had really been the one to help her.

…**xxxXXXxxx…**

The meeting seemed to drag on for an age as each of the Department Heads reviewed their needs for the remainder of the school year and highlighted any concerns.

"Last but certainly not least, the Library," Dumbledore said to faint twitters around the room. "Miss Newkirk – if you would be so kind as to introduce yourself as this is your first official meeting and then highlight the new programme you are undertaking as our Library Sciences Administrator…"

Jessica was shocked. She had expected Dumbledore to go along with Pince's slyness. She cleared her throat and simply spoke to her colleagues as if they were having a chill-out over some Butterbeer.

"I think I have met most of you in passing and at meals. My training programme has gone well and over the past few weeks I have gotten off to a reasonable start. I'm Jessica Newkirk – I sat my Bachelor's Degree at Temple University in the States, Magna Cum Laude – a First in Communications and Arts. I gained my Masters in Library Science at Columbia University – Summa Cum Laude – a Second. My most recent post was with the British Library in London for the past 5 years where I was a Senior Fellow responsible for Acquisitions and Collections – particularly Antiquities. I headed a team of seven and during my tenure we were responsible for some important wins, including the Nag Hammedi papers."

"I have seen them myself," piped up Professor Flitwick, whom Jessica knew was Head of the Charms Department and Ravenclaw House. He had a strong interest in Antiquities and had spoken to her several times about things he would have loved to have seen in the Hogwarts Library. "A marvelous addition, my dear! I saw them the first day you had them on exhibition!"

"It wasn't just me – we all worked dog's hours to get those scrolls…"

"Look – I do believe you are going red young lady," Hagrid chortled.

"It's always a team effort, at least it should be," Jessica replied, tucking a lock of hair behind her right ear that had come undone from her braid.

"Ooo so what have you in mind for Hogwarts?" asked Professor Sprout, the Head of Herbology and Hufflepuff House.

"Well – I thought I would make a vain attempt at clearing the backlog of requests you all have had over the years…"

There was laughter all around at this. Goodness knows everyone had tried for ages with Madam Pince and then just gave up.

"…and…erm, well…all the requests have been reviewed and should be fulfilled by the start of the Fall Term. And erm… the archiving systems seems to be in place (Jessica coughed slightly, still stunned that it had been done for her). I have also started looking into Acquisitions and we have some fine ones coming in..."

"You mean I can finally get a copy of 'Fantastic Beasts Through the Ages?" Hagrid asked excitedly.

"It will be here next week actually, a First Edition, signed by Broomhilda Mugwort herself!" Jessica confirmed with a nod. That request was one of the first that she'd handled personally. "I have identified the original Malleus Maleficarum – by the two of the most Muggle witch hunters to emerge during the persecutions…it's due next week as well. There are also several tomes by the one and only Matthew Hopkins – Britain's notorious Witchfinder General."

Jessica couldn't help but smile as Hagrid whooped and some of the other professors commented excitedly. Some of the professors didn't give a damn about her or what she was trying to do for them, so she wisely opted to direct her attention to the ones who showed an interest.

She'd actually had plenty of experience working in libraries as a student and was in the Library Club at her junior high and high schools growing up. The experience with the Buy The Book Emporium also put her in good stead with Book Dealer and Distributors. It seemed this Muggle world was not dissimilar to her own in some respects. Those similarities were very useful indeed when it came to the matter at hand.

Severus' countenance was unreadable now as usual – even as she noted several valuable Potions and Dark Arts texts. The Administrator then distributed a list of the books, periodicals and collector's items she had scheduled for intake over the next couple of weeks, all of which met with the approval of her colleagues. Any doubts or resentments they might have had because of her being McGonagall's relative was laid to rest, Madam Pince being a notable exception.

"I always knew we could rival the collections at Beauxbatons and Durmstrang!" McGonagall chortled. "It certainly looks as though we are on our way!"

"Hah – sounds like we are going to finally get one or a few over on the Ministry Libraries as well!" Flitwick enthused.

"Is there anything else, Miss Newkirk," Dumbledore asked with the legendary twinkle in his eyes.

"Erm – yes," Jessica said before clearing her throat. "I am hoping we can institute a world-class classification system which will aid us in re-organising the Library and yourselves in finding what you need with a minimum of aggravation or dependency. Professor Flitwick – I know you have spent a great deal of time in the British Library you must be familiar with the Dewey Decimal System?"

"Oh marvelous!" Flitwitck squeaked. "I use this Muggle contraption to look up what I want – it's all coded you see, according a series a numbers for each category. And then I go to the aisle with those numbers and then look alphabetically by the Author's surname. The worst bit is usually having to wait for the contraption to be available (there is almost always someone on all of them!) – but they can even tell you if something is available or not and you can reserve items on them too!"

"You have performed admirably in spite of certain difficulties, Miss Newkirk," Lupin said with a smile.

"Thanks to you, Professor Lupin. It's only because of _your_ help that I have managed as well as I have…"

She was feeling quite smug until she got a look at Severus' face. There was a vein throbbing at his temples and his mouth was set in a thin line as his eyes flickered over his old enemy. So it was true, Snape and Lupin were enemies and there was formidable tightrope to walk between them – when Snape decided she was worth bothering with apparently.

"If there is nothing to add," Professor Dumbledore said rising amidst a hubbub of excited chatter. "Miss Newkirk a quiet word if you please," he said leaning into Jessica privately. They walked out of the room together and walked to his office in silence.

…**xxxXXXxxx…**

"Well done on your presentation. I know that your time here has not been easy so far," the Headmaster said quietly once he had taken a seat behind his desk and Jessica sat across from him. "I myself have not been particularly helpful. But do try to understand my position; I have students and faculty to safeguard. Yours is not a situation anyone here has been faced with. But you have proven far more trustworthy than even I would have been willing to credit you with."

"Thank you, Sir…" Jessica said cautiously, wondering what was coming next.

"I make mistakes as much as the next man; and no doubt I have made one or a few with you."

Jessica cocked her eyebrow in a manner that even Snape would have appreciated had he been there.

"I could have been more supportive; but with the matters concerning me – I had to take care…"

"Of course you did, Headmaster…"

It was plain that Dumbledore wanted things to be right between them. It wasn't that simple though, and Jessica wasn't about to lose sleep over his seeming change of heart because of a guilty conscience, if indeed that is what it was.

"Hermione Granger speaks very highly of you."

"As well she should given all of the time I have to spend telling her things she doesn't want to hear and having to be pleasant dealing with Madam; I've never seen a child who thinks they know everything even with so much to learn. There is something to be said for experience – life isn't what you read in books, it's what you _live_ and she has a long road ahead of her where that is concerned."

"Very true," Dumbledore sighed wearily. "It's very true for all of us…"

"Including me, Headmaster…"

"Interesting…" Dumbledore said quietly resulting in another cocked eyebrow from Jessica._ "How symbiotic the two of you are; yourself and Severus…"_

Jessica did not move a muscle nor did she speak, but her back was up – way up. And if the Headmaster had even the slightest inkling he didn't seem to be too bothered.

"I am not nearly the bogeyman you want to believe I am, Jessica," the old wizard said respectfully. "But with age hopefully comes maturity; and with maturity hopefully comes the ability to forgive. I hope you can find it in yourself to forgive me for doing the right thing, which was not the easiest for me to do given the uniqueness of your situation."

"What is it you want from me, Professor Dumbledore?"

"_The difference between what is right, and what is easy, Jessica…"_

A cold chill ran up Jessica's spine at this echo in time. These were the very words that Dumbledore was likely to speak to Harry Potter later that year when the TriWizard Tournament came to Hogwarts – _if _the tournament came to Hogwarts.

"It is not in my nature to do what comes easiest, Professor. But I think you already know that."

"Indeed I do. You would not be here if I believed otherwise."

"Well – I suppose I should thank you for finally being so honest with me."

"It is the right thing to do…"

"_Even if it is not the easiest…"_

Dumbledore nodded his agreement.

"This is your home now, Jessica. Oh we bicker and have our moments, as does any other family, but it is home. It is home to you and I hope you will find your situation to be more satisfactory than it has been. I have worked on a few matters which I believe will aid you significantly in your work and your life amongst us."

Dumbledore opened a draw and took out a rectangular wooden box made of Rosewood and with mother-of-pearl inlay. He opened it, squinted, closed it and then pushed it across the desk towards Jessica.

"What is it?" Jessica asked, not wanting to touch it.

"Something meant for you, I believe…" Dumbledore said softly.

Jessica reached across with shaky hands and pulled the box to her. She opened it – and her face went pale and drawn.

"I… I don't understand…" she mumbled numbly as she picked up the wand that lay inside.

Dumbledore's eyes possessed a look of triumph.

"Give it a wave," he ordered calmly.

Jessica did as she was told, but nothing happened.

"I see…" the Headmaster muttered, obviously greatly disappointed.

"I'm not magical… I'm a Muggle…"

"Indeed you are. But, you are the first person who has ever managed to pick up that wand since Rowena Ravenclaw was in possession of it over 3,000 years ago."

"_I… I beg your pardon?"_

"Place it back in the box, Jessica…" Dumbledore said with a nod.

Jessica did as she was told (happy to do so) and Dumbledore summoned the box with a wave of his hand. Jessica watched in horror as the old wizard tried in vain to pick up the wand with its ornate Scots Celtic engraving. Unable to do so – he pushed the box across his desk once more.

"Like I said, Headmaster," Jessica said through gritted teeth. "You know far more than you let on!"

"Not as much as some would believe. I am following an instinct and believe me; it has taken a great deal of effort to arrive at this breakthrough of ours."

"Right. A nice ornament for my bookcase…"

"There may come a time when it will prove to be far more useful than that."

"But of course you have no intention of just setting me straight. Tell me, is everyone so gullible such as to set stock all this empty yet meaninful rhetoric you pronounce without question?"

Dumbledore laughed and the twinkle in his eyes was undeniable.

"I am afraid that tends to be the case; as befitting one who is said to be 'The Greatest Wizard of the Age'…they pander when it is not demanded nor expected of them."

"There is an exception to every rule, Headmaster."

"Indeed there is, Jessica. Indeed there is… and for me you are most certainly it – you and Severus that is…"

There was no answer as the stranger waited for the fearsome wizard to get to the point.

"Tell me, Jessica – have you any intention of ever being completely open and honest with me?"

"I have no idea what you are talking about, Sir."

Dumbledore leaned forward and peered over his glasses as her. Jessica had one too many experiences like this with managers in the corporate world she'd left behind and therefore wasn't as malleable as those around the Headmaster seemed to be. She didn't care, people ought to be able to what they needed to for their own sake and not simply because Dumbledore felt it was the right thing to do given the threat of evil in his universe.

He wasn't going to tell her about the usefulness of that wand or its significance to her. He'd leave her to find out probably at a moment when the knowledge of it would do her the most good – a moment that would probably the worst possible. Her life or someone else's was likely to be at risk and she would either find out by accident in an extraordinary dose of good luck or when it was too late if she lived to tell the tale.

"I see," the old wizard said sadly. "You cannot forgive any more than you can trust – something else you and Severus have in common."

"I don't know him, really, so I am not in a position to comment. But what little I do know of him I don't think he'd appreciate you speaking of him in such personal terms and to someone other him."

"You have more of a measure of him than you believe, then."

"I just sit back and watch – as much as I listen, Headmaster."

"Hermione Granger thinks very highly of you…"

"So you said. Is that supposed to be significant? Like a centaur, renowned for their gift in divination, commenting indirectly on how brightly Mercury is shining tonight?"

Jessica realised that she should stop with these incessant oblique references to what she'd read in the Harry Potter books, but seemed unable to get control of it. But perhaps she wasn't meant to. So far, everything felt right and her instincts told her that what she did and what she said was right.

The Headmaster snorted ruefully. "It would see you have more of a measure of me than I would have believed too."

"Is there anything else, Professor Dumbledore?"

"No," the Headmaster replied sadly as Jessica rose.

"Miss Newkirk," he called after her.

"Yes," Jessica replied without turning around. She knew the game as much as he did.

"Your box…"

"Hmmph, my box indeed…" Jessica commented as she strode to his desk and picked it up.

"I would like to suggest that you carry that wand with you at all times, as we do in this world. You never know…"

"I understood you the first time…" came a reply as Jessica walked towards the door to Dumbledore's office.

"Yes… I have no doubt that you did…"

"Jessica?"

"Yes?"

"I am not nearly the bogeyman you want to believe I am…"

"_Right…"_

'Saying it doesn't make it so' Jessica thought to herself as she closed the door without looking back.

She shook her head in anger as the revolving spiral staircase took her downwards. Dumbledore had just done the very thing with her that had proved to be his undoing with Harry Potter.

The stranger could only wonder if it would be her undoing as well.

* * *

**Sasha** – are you out there LOL! I have to say I am aching to see what you make of these last chapters! And where is that update on your wonderful fic you promised? And no – there is no triangle in this fic. As for my take on the characters – well this is a unique perspective for a fic to start with so I am doing a bit of exploration that I hope is reasonably plausible. I am throwing out a lot of the usual with this one…I hope… Thanks for the offer of being there through email LOL – but I am doing a bit better, just taking things one day at a time and trying not to fret over things I have no control over. 

**Serena **– are you still reading LOL! Or are you waiting for another BMTL update! I haven't forgotten 'dear Severina' as you call her – but the muse has to strike and so far it hasn't. I need to get back to Audrey too. Heck I need to get back to all of my fics. Believe it or not – the next chapters have been started on all of them – but I think this is proving to be my favourite of all my fics so far. I do wonder what you make of it all.

**Sasha and Serena: **The two of you started out in this fic as friends of Jessica's – but I cried killing you off so had to change the names LOL! You are going to surface later in the fic hee hee!

**Delta74** – Thanks for reading and leaving a note. I see you have marked this as a fav and am very glad you are enjoying this fic. I hope that is still the case

**Everyone else reading and not commenting **– I can see by the stats that there are many of you following this story – and I am eternally grateful. Since you are taking the time to read and continue with reading I hope you will let me know what has you hooked.

**TO ALL:** Thanks so much for reading and I hope to get some feedback as to what specific elements are working to have captured your interest – chapter by chapter is VERY helpful. It's a rare thing for one of my fics to get good stats so I thank you all from the bottom of my heart hope to hear from those of you who are interested. Please note that anonymous reviewing is disabled – perhaps I don't do myself any favours, but previous experience posting here has taught me that it's the most sensible thing I can do for myself…


	10. The Plot Thickens

**Plot, new characters, new magical terms and abilities etc. are my intellectual property. If you want to borrow then please kindly ask. JK Rowling's characters and Wizarding Universe are all uniquely hers.**

**Summary: AU: What if everything we ever read in JK Rowling's books was real – including the people characterised? What would you do if you found yourself caught up in that reality knowing what was to come? SS, RL, OC **

**_Authors Note:_ _It has been mentioned in the story but now I am noting it here. I am a fan of Diana Gabaldon's 'Outlander'/'Cross Stitch' series and definitely was influenced by that in writing this story – i.e. the Standing Stones and traveling through time. But I also love Philip Pullman's 'His Dark Materials' series and the tv programme 'Sliders' and the alternate universes alongside ours idea comes from there no doubt._**

**Fantasy/Drama**

**This story is rated R/M.**

**ENIGMA**

**Chapter 010: The Plot Thickens**

"I can't believe this day is finally here," Jessica said softly as she and Remus walked towards what she had known in her world to be the location of the Buy The Book Emporium in Fulham, Southwest London. Her neck was beginning to ache from looking around so much. This was the world of Harry Potter's Muggles. She was looking for something, anything that would somehow make some sense of what had happened to her and just how different Muggle life here was. Starting with her old home in London seemed as good a place as any to start.

Severus was supposed to have done this with her, but as had been the case he was indisposed. Whatever his excuses were, they must have been reasonable for Dumbledore to have not put his foot down and insist that he handle this most delicate of matters as had originally been agreed. Remus stuck out like a sore thumb in his shabby, patched up clothes and even in this Muggle world such a derelict appearance was frowned upon judging from the looks they were getting here and there. It was hard to be inconspicuous – then again Severus didn't exactly melt into the background either.

"Where is it again?" Lupin asked, pulling out an old battered copy of London A-Z and squinting at the detailed map that was Fulham.

"Well – it was on the New King's Road…" Jessica said frowning. "…Which is where we are now…"

Lupin looked at her. "But…?"

"But I don't see it… It was a commercial hub; but this is all residential…"

Jessica looked forlornly down a long street of endless rows of pebble-dashed terraced housing on either side. This New King's Road had definitely seen better days, considering the bland dreariness of the place.

"That is quite some difference then."

"Well – it's as if the gentrification I knew had never happened. In my world, most of what are now really posh, expensive areas in London used to be either slums or seriously working class. Fulham, Notting Hill, Islington… especially the Angel in Islington…"

"Which all exist here, and from what I know are not the most desirable places to live by any stretch of the imagination," Lupin said as he patted the A-Z. "It doesn't surprise me that there are some things that are very different to what you know…"

"Maybe she can help…" Jessica muttered as a young girl dressed in a puffa jacket, tracksuit, giant gold hoop earrings and several tacky gold necklaces walked towards them pushing a cheap pink Barbie stroller. As if one screaming infant wasn't enough she was clearly expecting another one. From the looks of her she was about to drop any minute. "Excuse me – can you direct us to the nearest market? We need to get some bits and pieces for a friend's party…"

The girl looked them over. "Yous ain't from 'round 'ere innit…" the girl answered bullishly in a hard London accent.

"Erm – no; we are visiting a colleague from work… wanted to get some things to take along. Can you just direct us towards the market?"

The young girl looked Lupin up and down. Too late Jessica realised that her excuse didn't make in sense given his undeniably impoverished appearance and her own immaculate and typically stylish one. She always looked as though she took great care of her appearance because she did. Her grandmother had always said just because a person doesn't have much money doesn't mean they have to look it or live like it. Try telling that to a werewolf, Jessica thought fleetingly.

"Won't get no gear down theh," the girl said knowingly. "And theh ain't no one wot will tell ya wheh to gow neevah if you already don'… Yous ain't from 'round 'ere…"

Lupin looked confused while Jessica looked horrified. The girl thought they were trying to score some drugs, that much was obvious.

"We are not looking for **that** – we just want to know the main road you do your shopping on; your local High Street. I thought it was this one – but obviously I'm wrong…"

"Uh huh, suit yerself – 'Ammasmiff road then," the girl sniffed before waddling off. They watched as she turned a corner, screaming at the howling child in the pram.

"Jesus Christ!" Jessica hissed. "Some things change and too many of the wrong things remain the same!"

Lupin sighed. They'd had many discussions about the ills of the world Jessica had left behind. Children having children they definitely weren't prepared to raise properly was just one topic.

"Let's find this Hammersmith road…" he said squinting at the A-Z again. "Ahh – there it is, I'd say it's roughly a 10-minute walk."

"OK, Chav and Chavette central it is then…" Jessica replied as they began to walk.

"_Chav?" _Lupin asked. "Erm – what exactly is that?"

"Her…"

"That's not very nice…"

"What? That's what she is… a Chav…"

"Whatever the label – it doesn't sound very nice…"

"It depends on your point of view…"

"I wouldn't have thought that you could be like that…"

"Be like what – are you saying I'm a snob?"

"You used the term, I didn't…"

"Look Remus, in my world everything and everyone gets a label, just like yours. Hogwarts is no better! I don't particularly like it and I'm not going to excuse myself because we all do it in some fashion. But for your information, Chavs are quite the business now back home. There is a lot of money to be made by adopting that lifestyle if you read the fashion and gossip magazines – not that I particularly agree with it. You have some nerve, getting so high and mighty with me – you mean to tell me that you are so damn perfect that **not once** have you ever been not so nice – towards anyone, not ever in your life? Have you **always** been the good guy – even with your mates back in the day at school?"

The werewolf was stunned into silence. Once again, it seemed as though Jessica knew far more than he would believe she did. But how could she? How could she possibly know about the Marauders and the antics they perpetrated that would now be seen for what it was: bullying. She seemed to be quite intuitive, truly intuitive in a way that the Divinations staff at Hogwarts were not – Sybil Trelawney the most notable. There were many times when he felt she knew him – _really_ knew him. And it was unsettling in more ways than one. But he didn't want there to be problems between them, not after they had come so far with each other.

Jessica went silent and sullen. She continued to be that way as they walked.

"We can have some breakfast somewhere and then go to the British Library afterwards… Then I can take you to Diagon Alley…" Lupin suggested, breaking the tension.

"Forget it – this was a bad idea. I want to go – NOW!"

"Jessica please; we can have a quick bite to eat…"

"_Right!"_

"Now what's that supposed to mean?"

"You can't do it, can you?" Jessica said in amazement.

"Can't do what?"

"_You can't admit it when things are wrong; you can't admit that you're wron no matter how reasonable you want to make yourself out to be. You cant see the need to acknowledge it and apologise to make things right! You just plod along and pretend it didn't happen and that by ignoring the obvious and being so bloody nice and benign that everything will be fine! Well I'm sick of it! Life doesn't work like that Remus and the sooner **you** face up to that the better everyone else will be! Everything you do and don't do has serious repercussions and you don't seem to care! You're not stupid – and neither am I. You have to be willing to face up to things even if it hurts and then move on even if we have to agree to disagree! I am not going to live my life like acting like everything is ok when it isn't!_"

Jessica had cut to the heart of the matter as tended to be her way. The werewolf was like a deer in headlights; it was the first time in his life anyone he liked had ever been critical of him in that way and to his face. It was criticism of his way of dealing with things, not his affliction and Remus wasn't entirely sure how he felt about that.

In his quest to be liked, Lupin often ignored the obvious and especially with the few friends he'd had. There were many things he simply refused to contemplate and Jessica had just seen it for herself firsthand. He'd been so used to being that way and for getting away with it for so long that being confronted about his weaknesses left him paralysed.

He'd always thought he was no different than a lot of people except for the fact that he was a werewolf. His affliction coloured everything, particularly how he lived and related to others. He worked overtime to be likeable because of what he was and what he didn't have. It was easy for Jessica to judge, he thought by way of an excuse, because she had no clue what his life was really like. But she had some semblance, little did he want to believe. The homeless, particularly those with chronic addictions or mental illness in her world were no better than the werewolves in his in some ways. She did sympathise – in ways that were very important. But Lupin wasn't one to dig deep when he should – another mistake and one unacknowledged by him.

And as always, it cost him and those around him.

Remus said nothing, but Jessica could tell that yet again he would do what he could to dodge a bullet. That was as much him as his Mr. Chips persona was even in Canon.

"Forget it then – since you do that so bloody well," she said darkly. "Take me home!"

"If that's what you want… but,"

"Take me home now – _please_!"

As they made their way back to the Portkey that would return them to the woods near Hogwarts, both Lupin and Jessica wondered if their friendship could ever recover from this ill-fated trip into the Muggle reality of the wizarding world.

Knowing how sad and unsettled Jessica had been, all Lupin had wanted to do was make her happy so that she would stay. He still wanted it.

The werewolf couldn't bear losing the only friend he had, the only real friend he'd had in many years.

**xxxXXXxxx**

Snape sat in his office, wallowing in misery. Over and over he had berated himself for the intimacy between he and Jessica, but to no avail. Everyday it was the same thing ad nauseum. When he woke, he anticipated seeing her at breakfast; rushed through the morning's duties hoping for even the most fleeting of glimpses at lunch; and then endured torturous afternoons until he could see her at dinner. There was no point, however. He had not seen her, nor had anyone else for well over a week now. The less he saw of her the more he had wanted to see her.

McGonagall was not terribly concerned; Jessica had been spending long hours in the Library tackling the mess that was Pince's handiwork at interfering with progress. She would have to put in long hours given her non-magical nature. But at least McGonagall had finally had a word with Pince, telling her that if she was not going to be professional and courteous to her colleague, then at least she could stop with her vain attempts at undermining Jessica's very senior position and the important work she was doing for the benefit of all of them.

The Potions master was all too aware of the blossoming friendship between Lupin and Jessica. He didn't like it and he didn't have to. As he turned it round in his head, he finally realised what needed to be done; the one thing that should have been done long ago. Jessica was very intelligent and logical – she would definitely put two and two together.

She needed to know the truth about her little 'friend' and he would see to it that she did.

**xxxXXXxxx**

Several more days had passed and still no one had seen Jessica. She was holed up in the Library, working even more overtime she wouldn't get paid for because Pince had decided she needed a break from 'the stress of the job'. All the Librarian had to do was sit on her bony arse manning the front desk; but as she'd simply gone off of her own accord, there was nothing Dumbledore or McGonagall could do about it. Jessica was left to do both their jobs by herself.

She was at the front desk with a mound of old paperwork and managing to work on Acquisitions while alternately directing books to their shelves with a simple charm that the Headmaster had rigged such that they zoomed overhead to the appropriate destination at her command. It looked as though Jessica was doing it herself, when in fact it was Dumbledore accomplishing the task through her.

"Excuse me," came a boy's voice. "I need some help…are you Miss Newkirk?"

Jessica looked up and was barely able to get a hold of herself as she looked into the brightest green eyes she'd ever seen, the trademark round glasses notwithstanding.

"Of course; I don't think we've met before. I'm Jessica Newkirk, the Library Sciences Administrator…" Jessica said offering her hand.

"I'm Harry, Harry Potter…"

Jessica resisted the temptation to say 'I know' and simply gave him a smile as she nodded at the weedy-looking 13 year-old standing in front of her with glasses too big for his face. As in fiction, the real-life Harry Potter had the lightning bolt scar. Unlike fiction and very much like the films, the scar was over his 'Third Eye' (the spot between his eyebrows but above them). This made more sense to Jessica, given the spiritual significance of the Third Eye and its relevance to magical practices in her world, for what Harry had gone through as a baby was nothing less than a very profound spiritual experience.

"Ah – Miss Granger's friend…"

"Taking my name in vain was she?"

"Yours and Ronald Weasley's; though yours not as much as his."

Harry grinned. He explained that he and Ron had been copying Hermione's notes a bit too much for her liking lately. Ron had been caught red-handed looking at her completed assignment for Defense Against the Dark Arts. He'd gotten a fierce bollocking from her and she ordered both of to get packing to the Library, instructions which Ron conveniently ignored as usual. Harry would have – but he didn't have time to waste with so much on at the moment.

Jessica laughed; this scenario she knew all too well from reading the books and also from what Hermione herself had told her only an hour before. "So – how can I help?"

"Snape took over Defense Against the Dark Arts and gave us an essay – two rolls of parchment on werewolves to be on his desk first thing Monday morning…"

"_Professor Snape_, Mr. Potter," Jessica said slowly as pins and needles of déjà vu ran up and down her spine. "But it's Quidditch tomorrow, isn't it?"

"That's what I said…"

"Which didn't go down too well I would imagine…"

"Erm – no it didn't."

Jessica frowned. According to Rowling Canon Hermione had by now worked out that Lupin was a werewolf – a secret which she would be keeping from her friends until the fateful night escaped convict Sirius Black made his presence known. It was just one of many fateful things that would happen that night – which if memory served her correct was not really that far off now. That night would change so many things and not for the better so far as she could see from Books 4 through 6.

"Right. Well, are you familiar with the Dewey Decimal System?" she said out loud.

"The what?"

"…Answers that question. We have a new system in place which will help you find what you want on your own when needed," Jessica said gesturing to a pamphlet of dark blue parchment on the desk. "I'm sure you are familiar with the classification system used by most libraries? Organising books with numerical classification by subject?"

"Oh – yeah; yes I am. We had that at my old school before I came here… a card catalogue thingybob."

"Well, that's the Dewey Decimal System."

"Erm – didn't know that…"

Jessica chuckled. No doubt Potter had been told and like anything kids consider too much information had simply let it go in one ear and out the other. She handed him a pamphlet and directed him to follow her.

"Card catalogues are very much a thing of the past, mine especially, but we are much more modern than that thank goodness. We have the latest WizNet terminals and they are up and running – extremely simple but very efficient and they get the job done. Now follow the directions from the pamphlet about registering and then log in," she instructed as he took a seat in front of a wizarding contraption similar to a computer. The Library had 10 of them with another 10 on the way. Their acquisition was her proudest achievement so far and thanks to Professor Flitwick. Though very tiny in stature, he had proven a formidable powerhouse when it came to dealing with the Ministry of Magic on her behalf.

Jessica hadn't been surprised to discover that the Ministry bigwigs made use of the ideas behind Muggle-based technology when it suited them. Hogwarts had been very behind the times in comparison to other European magical schools – and the Ministry didn't want its approach to wizarding education to seem terribly backward now that it was being pointed out to them. It hadn't taken much to get what Jessica and Flitwick knew was needed to bring the library into the modern age. It was evolving such that it would be on par with the Ministerial Libraries within a year or so if her innovative programme continued.

"Mr, Potter – I don't think_ 'Pothead' _is a suitable username…"

"I was just seeing if you were paying attention," Harry grinned.

"I had no idea you were so cheeky," Jessica replied with a grin of her own.

"Hermione said you are really nice…"

"Is that a fact Charmer? _Snitchseeker_? Pretty obvious isn't it?"

"Could be worse; I could have said…"

"Too much information," Jessica laughed holding up her hand. She knew the rude word that was coming and didn't need Harry to fill in the blank. But once again she was struck about aspects of the real life personas that were being revealed that she'd never seen in fiction. "If you are going with that then pick a 10-character alpha-numeric password and a unique question no one but you could guess and answer."

Harry thought for a moment and then completed his task.

"Good," Jessica said as she pulled up a seat a next to him. "The system allows you to browse the contents of the library. As we are always updating the stacks it's important to refresh periodically after logging in. To do a search – type in the subject matter… Yes, that's it. Now – you are being given a list according to classification. There are works of fiction, plays, poems etc and so on. Now – given the nature of Professor Snape's assignment I think its safe to assume that your resources should be non-fiction, and drawn from the Dark Arts, Magical Creatures and Magical History. You can see that those categories are amongst the classifications in your results. Now click on any of them and you see the Dewey classification number next to each book title. You can click on the title to get information about the book. You can do much more than that, but for the moment just print out the list of results from the areas I mentioned and let's hit the stacks. All that's left is going to the appropriate section labeled with the Dewey number…"

"Hey this is pretty cool," Harry said beaming. His cousin Dudley had been given a computer as a present once and broken it the minute he got it. Like everything else useless and broken, it was dumped in the small bedroom that used to be Dudley's playroom he used at his Aunt and Uncle's house. He'd always wanted to try a computer – they looked wicked when he'd seen them in shops on display. He knew this wasn't quite the same, but at Hogwarts it was definitely better than just alright. It was certainly better than dealing with Pince.

He followed Jessica to the stacks and she showed him how the numbering worked. In no time at all he found himself staring at shelf after shelf of books that had information on werewolves

"So – two rolls of parchment; that's roughly 5 handwritten A4 pages, double-sided," Jessica said calculating in her head.

"Really? So – are you a Muggle-born then?" Harry blurted out without thinking.

"No. I was raised amongst Muggles and wasn't allowed to use magic for anything. Had to get by just like a Muggle would… I was educated the Muggle way and went to University… I was working at the British Library before this… It's what my mother wanted and no one was about to argue…"

"How did you end up here then?" Harry asked, clearly mystified as to how someone like that could be at Hogwarts.

"Professor McGonagall – she's my cousin… She was catching up on the family and came to see me quite a bit when I lived in London after she found out I was here. I had done all I could in my old job and it was time to move on; I was talking to her about it one day and before I knew it she'd arranged a few meetings with the Headmaster and next thing I know, here I am… It all happened rather fast, now that I think about it."

Jessica was so used to thinking about and repeating her story that it had become her mantra, her truth, to a degree. As the days wore on and she continued to not wake up from this nightmare, she simply accepted that the nightmare was a living entity and she was in it for the duration.

She continued to work with Harry on his essay, including giving him direction on English Composition. There were a few tricks that were valuable to know and one in particular which made the structure of the essay easy to approach. Having already worked with a number of students, including Hermione, Jessica was of the opinion that the basics were being ignored at Hogwarts to their detriment.

And while Hermione had a decided flair for memorizing and repeating by rote, she was not intellectual in the way the fandom tended to make her out to be any more than Snape was. Nor was she a particularly gifted writer as such, no matter how many high grades her essays were awarded. Hermione crammed as many facts as she could cross-reference onto her scrolls. What she did with cross referencing was incredible in its own way and there wasn't anyone who did as much as she did – but Jessica could see that Hermione was driven by insecurities and overcompensated for them with her bossy, high-strung, know-it-all demeanour which was at its worse when the girl was stressed and under pressure to perform. What the Gryffindor did was not proper intellectual discourse. Hogwarts students were being graded on their ability with regurgitating facts, not the analysis or interpretation of them. The more Jessica saw of it from all the students who came to her for help, the she was resolved to do something about it.

After a couple of hours, Harry's essay was done and he was feeling quite proud of himself. And Jessica was feeling very pleased that she was doing something constructive besides stocking books.

"Thanks very much Miss; I'd be staring at the walls if you hadn't helped…" Harry said as he packed his things.

"Happy to help Mr. Potter, anytime…"

"I'll remember that," Harry replied cheerfully. "See you at dinner Miss…"

"Unfortunately no," Jessica replied grimly gesturing to the mounds of work heaped at the front desk.

"Erm – isn't there a charm or something to sort all that out?"

Leave it to the boy who usually wasn't thinking straight to ask a very logical question, Jessica thought to herself. Used to thinking fast on her feet, and mindful of a chat she'd had with Lupin, she did the best she could do, and told a slightly altered version of the truth.

"Well I have a little bit of a problem, between you and me…"

Jessica gave Harry a look that made it clear he was not to discuss this with anyone else.

"No problem," Harry said moving close and opening his pamphlet as if she were discussing it with him. Several Slytherins had sauntered in, no doubt to tackle the werewolf essay.

"I'm not terribly good at that sort of thing, magic… Wasn't allowed at home at all – never," Jessica whispered conspiratorially. "Besides I am so used to doing things the Muggle way it's taking me a while to sort myself out here… The Headmaster is going to have to work with me a bit… but no one else can know that Harry, it wouldn't be good for me – know what I mean?"

Harry nodded solemnly.

"Not even Hermione or Ron, deal?"

"Deal," Harry replied. "Hermione would be trying to sort you out… you'd never get rid of her."

"She already is," Jessica replied with a twinkle in her eyes. "She has met her match in some ways and I think I challenge her…"

"Erm – you do. She told me – but don't tell her I said…"

"Shake?" Jessica asked extending her hand.

She then flipped into a soul brutha handshake West Philly style causing Harry to laugh.

"You definitely aren't from around here…"

"'_West Philadelphia born and raised; on the playground was where I spent most of my days'…,_" Jessica rapped imitating Will Smith, a.k.a. 'The Fresh Prince' and the theme from a TV show she used to love called 'The Fresh Prince of Bel Air'.

"Can you help me with my History of Magic Essay? I wanted to work on it on Sunday…" Harry laughed. To him, Jessica was a breath of fresh air in the doom and often uptight gloom of Hogwarts – as much as he really did love school.

"Sure; I'll come in at two – that should give us enough time so that you have a break before dinner… We can go over some of the elements of Composition again if you want."

"Great!" Harry beamed as he tucked the pamphlet into his bag. "My marks in the class are rubbish…"

Jessica resisted the temptation to say 'I know' as she watched his retreating form. Harry turned and gave her a wave before trotting off to the Gryffindor common room.

For the first time in a long time, Jessica wondered if it were possible to change the fate of the wizarding world, and the Boy Who Lived.


	11. Light Emerging

**Plot, new characters, new magical terms and abilities etc. are my intellectual property. If you want to borrow then please kindly ask. JK Rowling's characters and Wizarding Universe are all uniquely hers.**

**Summary: AU: What if everything we ever read in JK Rowling's books was real – including the people characterised? What would you do if you found yourself caught up in that reality knowing what was to come? SS, RL, OC **

**_Authors Note:_ _It has been mentioned in the story but now I am noting it here. I am a fan of Diana Gabaldon's 'Outlander'/'Cross Stitch' series and definitely was influenced by that in writing this story – i.e. the Standing Stones and traveling through time. But I also love Philip Pullman's 'His Dark Materials' series and the tv programme 'Sliders' and the alternate universes alongside ours idea comes from there no doubt._**

**_This chapter also owes a great deal to the wonderful essays on hogwartsprofessor . com and in particular this one: http // www . hogwartsprofessor . com / home . php ? page docs / railings (about the 10 things that happen in every HP novel) – Thank you to Katje at The Alan Rickman Download Haven for posting the link to the Snape article!_**

**Fantasy/Drama**

**This story is rated R/M.**

**ENIGMA**

**Chapter 011: Light Emerging**

Jessica had thought long and hard about this most peculiar dilemma. She'd known that, according to Rowling, Severus was going to try to 'out' Lupin with the essay. She had hoped against hope that somehow the factual reality of these people wouldn't mirror the books. But she could no longer ignore the obvious. Lupin was a werewolf, and his old Marauder mate and unregistered Animagus Peter Pettigrew was disguised as Ron Weasley's pet rat Scabbers, awaiting the moment when he could make a move and rejoin Lord Voldemort; which also meant that Harry was roaming around the grounds and Hogsmeade using the Marauders Map which detailed every nook and cranny of Hogwarts and its grounds. By now Remus would have discovered it and confiscated it, if her memory served correctly. Or was it later?

That was the problem with reading the books – there was no real sense of _time_, seasonal changes notwithstanding. There was only the beginning, middle and end with the set pattern of Harry being stuck at his relatives for the summer; the in-between time until school began; something mysterious to be resolved by the school year's end that set the tone for Harry and all around him whether directly or indirectly involved; and interwoven in this tapestry of chaos were the obligatory confrontations with Severus, questioning his loyalty and the exploration of the dynamics between the Trio of Harry and his closest friends Ron and Hermione. And of course a Canon story would not be complete without Harry playing the Hero to save the wizarding world in the run up to the anticipated final confrontation with Voldemort – and getting something inherently wrong but being very lucky in the process. The Boy Who Lived had more lives than a cat, all things considered.

Jessica had no choice but to face the facts of Lupin's lycanthropy and confront him about it. She had helped so many students with their essays (word had traveled fast thanks to the Gryffindors) that she couldn't ignore the obvious. It was quite easy to recognise Remus for what he was with the knowledge gleaned from the research.

"Mummy?" Harvey asked quietly, giving her a poke.

"What sweetie?" she said absently, her mind still on the dilemmas of Remus Lupin and the twists of fate that had to be getting ever closer. Without the books to hand it was hard to gauge.

"Is Daddy coming back?"

Jessica's head flew up from the mound of paperwork scattered over the desk in a nook of her sitting room.

"Who?"

"_Daddy,"_ the little Jarvey squeaked.

"Who are you…" Jessica's voice trailed off as she realised that though Harvey had never seen much of him, he was referring to Severus. Of course he would, since it was Severus who had found and rescued him; Severus who had ensured he had a home and Severus who used to be a frequent visitor – well frequent enough in a Snape-sort-of-way at any rate.

And Harvey had seen them kiss.

She knew that Jarveys thought in abstract terms at Harvey's age. The caregivers would be thought of as parents. Harvey's gentleness and dependency only served to complicate matters. Still, it was nice to be needed, nice to be loved.

"I…I don't know sweetie," Jessica said softly as her eyes welled up with tears. Too late, several drops streamed down her cheeks.

"Don't cry, Mummy! Don't cry! I'm sorry!" Harvey wailed, thinking he had done something wrong and upset his mother.

Jessica gathered him into her arms and held tightly to him, crying into the soft purple whisps of feathery, furry down that covered every part of his being except his face and hands,

"My little Teletubby," Jessica sniffed as she hugged him, trying to smile as she thought of would Severus' reaction would be to being a father. "At least I have you, eh?"

"I love you," Harvey said emphatically giving her a hug.

"I love you too, Harvey; don't ever doubt that, Daddy or no…" Jessica said getting up from the desk and depositing the Jarvey on her sofa. "It's late, time for bed…"

The little Jarvey watched despondently as his mother crossed the room and went down the hallway. Once again, Jessica would cry herself to sleep.

**xxxXXXxxx**

Pince had returned unceremoniously from her holidays to the overwhelming dismay of the students. But other than checking out and returning books they didn't bother with her – not that they ever had.

The Trio came in noisily one afternoon in search of some texts on Kappas and were greatly aggrieved to find Pince on duty again. She wasn't helpful like Jessica, neither was she up for a laugh nor could they talk to her about personal things. Miss Newkirk was known for her discretion and for being a good listener when it was needed. The Library had become quite a decent place to be when she was around.

"Can you ring for Miss Newkirk please," Hermione asked politely, clearly relieved that for once she, Harry and Ron were the first in line. Jessica was proving to be quite popular with the students who were benefiting from her one-to-one help with their schoolwork.

"There is no reason to summon _her_," Pince snapped.

"Excuse me, I need help with my Herbology review," Ernie Macmillan of Hufflepuff piped up.

"Then do see Sprout about it, that is what she is paid for!. Now move along – no crowding my desk!"

A cacophony of moaning and complaining broke out, and Pince lost her temper in spectacular fashion.

"Out, out, OUT!" she boomed. "Unless you have _library_ business you are to remove yourselves immediately!"

"Excuse me, what on earth is going on down here?" Jessica called out tiredly as she swooped down a spiral staircase that led to the upper level of the library where her new office was located. Like everything else useful about her job, it had suddenly appeared overnight. She was overjoyed beyond belief and was enjoying some quiet time to herself within its pale raspberry sherbet and cream walls. At least for the moment she was able to forget her heartache over Severus and the nagging issues about how to best talk to Remus (whom she hadn't spoken much to since their disastrous trip to London). She was, until the commotion from below.

Jessica was mobbed by shrill, shouting students thrusting out books and rolls of parchment.

"All right, all right!" she yelled to no avail.

The uproar continued as students moaned and wailed about this exam and that essay and what was the best category of books to choose for this term paper.

All of a sudden there was a piercing whistle, stopping everyone dead in their tracks.

"**Now that I have your attention," **Jessica cracked, causing her young charges to roar with laughter. "How many of you would be open to a Library Club where you can work on your assignments and learn more about the resources available to you?"

"Get your hand up," came a whisper as a multitude of hands went up.

"Get both hands up," Hermione hissed as she dropped her bag overloaded with books along with the ones in her arms and did just that.

"As enthusiastic as ever I see, Hermione," Jessica said with a grin and a wink.

"You can't have it here!" Pince shrieked. "A library is for QUIET!"

Jessica ignored her.

"_I will have a word with the Headmaster and suitable arrangements will be made_. The first session will start tomorrow afternoon, three o' clock sharp. The notice will go up in each of the common rooms after dinner to confirm where…"

There were visible sighs of relief.

"But Miss, we have this essay due tomorrow in Herbology…" Ernie said, clearly panicked.

"_Too bloody familiar with them," _came Pince's muttering. _"Don't know your bloody place!"_

"Have you something of merit to add Madam Pince?" Jessica asked. "Do you wish to help for a change? No? Then there are a mountain of books that need shelving – _please_."

"Time for my break," Pince huffed as she scuttled out of the library, no doubt to have a drink with Filch.

Jessica was sorting out who needed help with what when everyone's head snapped towards the corridor outside the library. They heard Pince's heated mutters and deep gravelly ones in returns.

"Dumbledore!" Lavender Brown shrieked.

But before anyone could make a move, not that they really needed to, the old wizard shuffled into the library. The legendary twinkle in his eyes was very much in evidence as Pince shot past him and manned the front desk once more.

"Amazing how many rooms this castle has – I took a wrong turn in my office and wound up here after a half hour of having a lovely stroll!"

Several pairs of eyebrows shot up and even Jessica had to restrain herself from smirking at the Headmaster's eccentricity.

"Ah, Headmaster; I was wondering if I could start a library club? It seems some of the students are quite enthusiastic to have some help with their assignments and learning more about what's available to them here."

"Mmm, splendid idea," Dumbledore said reaching over Ernie's head to grab a sweet from Jessica's candy disk on her front desk.

The desk and dish had appeared one night not that long ago and proved to be useful and very much needed. It kept the conflicts over sharing workspace with Pince to a bare minimum. Jessica's fondness for sweets from Honeyduke's was well known amongst the students. Quite often she did not have to fill the voluminous dish which Dumbledore was raiding with gleeful abandon along with several of the students. The students who get on well with her filled it for her – a small thank you particularly from those she was able to help on a personal level.

Something else missing from Hogwarts was a School Counselor, and increasingly Jessica was becoming that to some of them. The things they came to see her about they would have been far too embarrassed to speak directly with their Head of House about. Jessica was the intermediary when it was needed. But more often than not, she was able to speak to them in such a way that they did go on to have a word with their Head of House and sometimes with her being there to help them. Fortunately for Jessica, the Heads saw this as a good thing. Well, at least three of them did that she knew of. Severus never spoke to her about it like the others had and none of his students had come to her for assistance. The jury was still out on her as far as some of the older Slytherins were concerned. The younger ones just followed their lead – but only for the moment.

"I think some extra supplies might be in order; a great opportunity to try out some of the new wares from Baggins Stationers!" Dumbledore said as he eyeballed a hulking slab of Honeyduke's finest chocolate beadily. "I call Dibs on that!" he bellowed merrily, swatting the hand of Oliver Wood, Captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team away from his prize.

"Erm, Professor Dumbledore – can we have the meetings here, please?" Hermione piped up.

"Well – where else would you hold a library club, Miss Granger? I think regular sessions would do you well – you all seem to be thriving with Miss Newkirk's help and I am aware that many of your Professors are finding it mutually beneficial… Miss Newkirk – how does everyday from 3 until 5 suit you?"

"That would be fine, Sir. That is the current arrangement I have informally…"

"Excellent. Now of course we need to make allowances for Acquisition and Inventory days. So I propose that on those days the club meets in the Great Hall… Quite easy to summon what you need from here… "

"Thank you, Sir," Jessica said with a big smile.

"Madam Pince," Dumbledore said calmly, "I do believe there are enough matters to concern you such that the club should not be a disturbance. After all, the purpose is Academic far more than social."

"Mmmph," came a grunted reply as Pince headed off to her office.

"Miss Newkirk; if you would care to begin and if you don't mind I will just take a quiet seat and you just pretend I am not even here…"

"Oooo Kaaayyyy," Jessica said as Dumbledore scooped up some more chocolate and took down a brightly coloured picture book that needed re-shelving from one of Pince's many piles.

She quickly got the students settled down and did a review of what was needed for the various projects. There were those that were naturally bright and she made no distinction between them and those that were not. No question was too silly, no dilemma that was an irritant. Jessica had patience in abundance and even when it was tested, sorely tested, she did not loose her cool.

The students liked her, and even tested her on occasion, but those that came to her for help by and large respected the boundaries she set for them and the expectations she had of them. Miss Newkirk was known for being tough, but very fair and honest in her dealings with them. She made them believe in themselves and that in turn made them want to do the best they could for their own sake as well as so they didn't disappoint her.

The Headmaster smiled to himself as recognised within Jessica a natural gift and flair for teaching and relating to the students. That was what he would have liked to see with the Professors, but he realised that for many of them teaching was just a job – not a profession in the way that Jessica tackled her job and the responsibilities that came with it.

It seemed that no sooner than they had started, it was time for the first meeting of the Hogwarts Library Club to come to an end.

"Mr. Creevey!" Dumbledore boomed. "I do think a photograph to commemorate this occasion is in order, don't you?"

The Headmaster conjured a sparkling glittering sign to match his hat. Jessica noted that the sign made no specific reference to the year, unlike the ones she'd had in school. The students gathered around Dumbledore and the sign and Jessica stood back watching Colin Creevey as he fumbled with his camera.

"Now don't be shy Miss Newkirk! After all we are all only gathered here because of you!"

"What? Oh – erm OK…" Jessica replied clearing her throat. She took a seat next to Dumbledore on the chair he conjured for her as the students arranged themselves behind them.

"Ready? Come on Mr. Creevey – set the timer and get into place now…"

There was a whirring noise and Colin sprang into place positioning himself between Harry (his hero whom he worshipped unbelievably) and Ron, both of whom were annoyed with the little twerp.

FLASH!

FLASH!

FLASH!

DING!

Several photographs shot out of the camera and with a wave of his wand, Dumbledore had enlarged and tacked them together in one big picture frame which he then hung on the bare wall behind Jessica's desk up front.

"Alright – dismissed," Jessica said with weary wave.

There were some cheers and backslapping amongst the club members at the success of their first day.

"Who would have thought it," Hermione trilled, "People actually coming out for an _academic_ club…"

"If you make it less like work you'll get a better result with some of them Hermione, especially your friends," Jessica said wisely with a pointed look. "Otherwise they don't listen and won't care to especially when it's needed."

"Right, right of course," came a fast reply; too fast.

Jessica watched in amusement as Hermione quickly gathered her things and made a hasty exist.

"Well done Miss Newkirk," Dumbledore said as Jessica rubbed her eyes. "I do believe that you are the best thing to happen to this little corner of Hogwarts in a very long time."

"Oh – I just try to help where I can," Jessica said honestly. "Some of them are challenging and many are the days when I think I will go bald with frustration."

Dumbledore laughed and handed Jessica some chocolate.

"Oh yes indeed! Why I remember the time when young Ignatius Hornblower…"

It was an hour later before Jessica realised that the Headmaster surely had other things to do besides entertaining her and said so. But she hadn't laughed so hard in a long time and it helped her to forget her troubles.

"If that were the case, Jessica, I would most certainly be doing them," Dumbledore said peering over his glasses.

Jessica looked around.

"Professor, Sir. Can we go to your office – please?"

Dumbledore nodded slowly. But before rising he took Jessica's hands in his.

"I wish I could tell you with absolute certainty that everything will be alright…"

"But it won't…"

"Perhaps not – but at least one important thing will have happened; something I have wanted for some time now."

"And that is?"

"For you to not carry your burdens alone, Jessica…"

**xxxXXXxxx**

Dumbledore and Jessica were seated in comfortable armchairs by the fire in his office. She held a steaming hot mug of sugary tea in her hands and tried to blink back the tears threatening to fall.

The Headmaster reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Sometimes the best way is to just spit it out – fast," he offered.

"Oh this is too complicated for that; you'll think I'm mad! Or dangerous!"

"If I believed you to be such I would have hardly entrusted you with the care of our students."

"Ours?"

"Yes, Jessica; your and mine: _ours_."

Jessica swallowed and nodded.

"I care about them, Professor. I like them a lot and I am starting to feel like I am a part of things. And Harvey needs me and I need him and we both need Sev… and he needs…but he doesn't see it or care about us anymore…if he ever did…"

She looked down and let out a sob.

"He knows you are hurting and he is in the abyss wrestling with his demons. You mean something to him, more than he could have ever hoped for. He feels, deeply, and it does not come easy to him; and the reasons for that I believe you know. I believe you know far more than you have been willing to entrust me with."

"I wish I didn't, Sir. Honestly, I really don't want to know what I do!"

Dumbledore took the shaking mug of tea from Jessica's hands and placed it on the table. He took her hands in his and then helped her to calm herself.

"Back in my world," Jessica began, "There are books – very popular books…"

She hiccupped and then took shallow breaths.

"And these books," she continued. "They talk about… _this world_…"

Dumbedore nodded gravely. Jessica's hands twitched in his and he gave them a squeeze.

"You are doing fine, and I believe you, just know that," he said gently.

Jessica burst into tears and the Headmaster gathered her into a hug.

"I don't believe you have had one of those in a very long time."

"No," Jessica hiccupped. "That's why I loved the books so much and the characters, all of you – my life was so emotionally empty and the books – gave me – something…"

"Something to get lost in; to forget how sad and lonely you are; how important love and being needed and useful is to you because you have never really had it, not even from those closest to you. Nothing you did ever made a difference and the more isolated you became, the more certain talents developed…and some that remain unknown to you."

Jessica nodded; she attempted to pull away but Dumbledore held her in her hug.

"It is no shame to admit we need this level of understanding, Jessica. Let me do just that."

Jessica nodded and looked up; to her surprise Dumbledore was genuinely sad and upset at her obvious distress.

"These books, they are not just about this world in general," she said emphatically. "They are about Harry Potter – and what he has faced from the moment he discovered he was a wizard!"

"I see," Dumbledore said feebly after Jessica told him what she could. The one thing she didn't talk about was his death in Harry Potter's Sixth Year. But she said enough so that he understood that time was not on his side.

The Headmaster took a deep breath. "Merlin's beard, _give me the strength_…"

"The long and short of it is – if the books are right, and so far it seems that they are for every little nuance that is left out, then you have some hard decisions to make."

"No Jessica, _**we** _have some hard decisions to make. This is your life and your knowledge. I would not dare to make such judgments without your input and tacit agreement."

Jessica looked at him and could see the Headmaster was troubled.

"So I guess you want to Obliviate me now and send me on my way… or do something else…"

"That is the last thing I want and that is not my way with one so innocent – and not for the reasons you would assume. Your Ms. Rowling may have a fine appreciation for our world, but she doesn't know us! She doesn't personally know those of whom she writes and the many ancient principles by which our world is governed and is allowed to exist! You have fallen into our lives under very tragic circumstances, but out of that tragedy has come something very good, life-affirming and powerful."

"What I know, right? How useful I can be to you, is that it?"

"Far more important than that: _what you give to others freely without limitation or expectation in return_. What I witnessed today and the reports that have reached my ears are proof positive."

Jessica's mouth formed a wide 'O' as she listened to the aged wizard speak from his heart.

"I have known Severus Snape since he was a small boy – 11 years old. I have made my mistakes with him – that is very true. And heaven forbid before we see this through I may make even more. But they are mistakes that come from a deep caring and concern for his well-being…to see him emerge from the tangled web that he wove as a young man wanting to be more than he was ever allowed to be in the eyes of others that _did_ matter to him no matter what he protests otherwise."

"The books don't exactly paint a glowing picture between the two of you…"

"But do they paint a wholly negative one?"

"No… not exactly. It's down to one's own personal interpretation really. Jo Rowling is really crafty with how she manipulates the fandom…"

"Well – that explains why you were so willing to believe the absolute worst of me before I had a chance to prove otherwise. And why you trusted Severus Snape so much such that you gave him the most precious thing you have…"

"And that is….?"

"_You."_

Jessica sniffed and the tears began rolling over her cheeks again.

"You did exactly as you were meant to Jessica…I firmly believe that you were meant to come to us and at this critical juncture in Harry's and Severus' life. Seeing how they and the others have blossomed in certain respects under your influence confirmed that to me some time ago."

"But that's just it! Is this meant to be? Am I meant to just be thrown here knowing what I know – not even knowing how it all ends up – and unable to do anything about it?"

"The question is not whether or not you are able to act; but whether or not you **_should_**, Jessica."

"What do we do, Professor?"

"_Albus_; you and I have come too far to stand on ceremony."

"Severus never calls you Albus. He doesn't cross that line even in the books…"

"The books are correct in that regard. However, you are not Severus and that is precisely why he needs you. We all need you as much as you need us."

Jessica's hands were ice cold and Dumbledore rubbed them between his. She watched as several tears rolled down his reddened cheeks.

"There is nothing we can do – is there? It's all meant to unfold… pretty much as it was written?"

Dumbledore nodded solemnly. "I am 99.9 sure that is the case. We can try to alter certain circumstances, but I do believe that what is meant with regards to the major mysteries will come to pass."

"But we can try, can't we? We can do something so that certain things don't happen…"

"I may be somewhat of a Wizard's Chess Master, but I am not God Jessica! I know that to you it has often read as though I play God with people's lives, but again that is your interpretation. Only those events which are meant to be altered for the greater good can be manipulated, and even then great care must be taken as you very well know."

"Like saving someone from the Dementors… you can do that because it's not their time to go and not like that; and you are allowed to make use of those who are actually meant to do it in order to complete the task. You draw on the only people you **could** use – even if they happen to be underage; it's their time to do what's needed and it's meant. _Whatever is to come will happen naturally regardless of the path taken…_"

"Precisely…"

"Then you most definitely are the Greatest Wizard of the Age to have such sacred wisdom. You remind me of the Sachem back home, our Wisewoman. I suppose you are connected to the spirits – your spirits…if you have them…"

"I never claimed it myself… and I don't set stock in such things. My greatest fear, as you very well know, is what I know must come to pass… I fear it, but I am not afraid to face it."

"_The return of Lord Voldemort…"_

Dumbledore smiled ruefully.

"One of the few around me who does not fear his name…"

"Why should I fear a fictional character?"

"Because you know now that he is real and that what you have read of his past, present and yes, even the future – is truth."

Both fell silent.

"I think there is a reason you have come to us that has far reaching implications," the Headmaster said thoughtfully. "Unfortunately it is not for either of us to know why."

"And there is the not-so-small matter of the people who crossed into my world and forced me into this…"

"Yes," Dumbledore said thoughtfully. "Severus has a theory. But personal matters got in the way of him discussing it with you as he wished. You rebuked his only attempt…"

"_Mmmphm_; is that a fact?"

"Cynicism doesn't suit you Jessica. Neither does sarcasm."

Feeling like a child chastised for throwing their toys out of their pram, Jessica fell silent.

"He believes, and I am inclined to agree, that there is something you are yet to do which will resonate within our world and it is not necessarily a thing so grand as the defeat of Lord Voldemort. You were meant to come to us, but not in the manner in which it happened. To use a Muggle expression, your attackers 'jumped the gun' in trying to prevent you from going through the stones and in so doing brought about the one thing which they sought to alter. There were better ways to approach your being here – and they took the least desirable path."

"And so bringing it around to what we were saying before…"

"Precisely. _You are here because you are meant to be here_. No matter how hard we try – the events surrounding Lord Voldemort's return and who survives this war will unfold as you know them."

Jessica put her head in her hands, feeling utterly despondent.

"_That does include my death as well, dear Jessica,"_ Dumbledore said as he removed her hands and tilted her head up.

"But Sir, No!"

Dumbledore bade her to listen.

"I am an old man. I have lived a very long life even by wizarding standards and it's been a good one in spite of the hardships and difficulties. Sacrifices are always necessary for the greater good and unlike Tom I am not afraid of death. Death is a part of life. Why would I want to go on whilst those around me pass into their next lives leaving me to get on without them? To live out cycles of birth, life and death around me continuously for all eternity? That is the way of a coward, Jessica. I do not fear death and neither do I court it."

"But I don't know how it all ends! I don't know what happens to any of you!"

"An intriguing dilemma, most assuredly – and I would wager that had you knowledge of the last year of which Ms. Rowling has yet to write, it would seriously impair your judgment as you get on in our world. As it stands I believe you know enough and there is enough room for us to act without compromising what needs to happen for the greater good of us all."

Rather than comforting Jessica, his wisdom just made her more despondent.

"Has it ever occurred to you, Jessica, that perhaps Ms. Rowling changed certain facts to suit her own purposes?"

"Well – after the books started taking off and people liked the 'bad' guys – yes I thought that in terms of what she had originally written in her notebooks. I used to write about it all the time; that I didn't believe what we were getting after the second book was what she'd originally intended."

"Very good; and that is likely something that whoever bewitched her did not anticipate. And have you wondered why it is that the knowledge of our world has come to pass in your own and through the pen of Joanne Rowling?"

Jessica didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Are you kidding me? I'm of the mind that she came from the future of this world into mine… you think she was just another Muggle and she was bewitched?"

"But that would be too easy, wouldn't it; a Witch – a very powerful one at that – manages to open the gateway to your world and steps through, spinning a tale so fantastic through the written word such that she finds fame and fortune?" Dumbledore queried.

"Something like less than 2 of writers manage to make a living from it in my world. And she was a single mother on benefits and was really down on her luck when she was working on the first book…"

"I don't believe that she is a Witch, no – but I do believe that she was magically influenced and by someone with an agenda that involves your world… Of all those they could have chosen at random, it simply happened to be her."

"Are you sure or are you making a guess?"

"I am making an educated and for me a very logical guess…"

"But why put that knowledge out there if it happens to be true? I still don't want to believe it and I am here living it!"

"Yes – but your emotional reaction. You were pulled into the idea of this world – even with all its darkness and the terrible things you have read. You still were open to it…"

Jessica thought for a moment.

"So if people were open to it – when certain things started to happen in my world, instigated by whomever, we would embrace them and be far more cooperative when the truth was out… because for a lot of us we would see it as wonderful and a dream come true… God it is like the Nazis and how they managed to gain power…"

"_And…"_

"And…since the series was nearing completion – they were gearing up to make a move; but they had to do something about me. They knew about me and had to keep me from going through the Stones and back in your time. They changed the way I was meant to come here – but they couldn't alter the fact that I was meant to do it and when."

"Yes – which leads us to two dilemmas: firstly, they are trapped in your world in the future and from the remark that was made they are acutely aware that they should not be there – clearly their lives are at risk; and second, we have no idea who they are at present. Whoever they are, they found out about you and discovered the nature of the Stones. They used that played upon certain criminal elements of this world to draw attention away from themselves that night at your home."

"The Death Eater garb…"

"Mmmm – _if _they were Death Eaters…"

"Does Severus think they are? I got the impression he didn't."

Dumbledore explained that was the case and then detailed what Snape had told him, McGonagall and Lupin.

"This is crazy," Jessica said. "There are how many people in this world?"

"Not as mad as it seems," Dumbledore said. "At this moment in time there will not be anything that will give us clues towards resolving that mystery. I believe more time will have to pass and events will have to unfold as they are meant before the unseen becomes clear. Those that know of you and the Stones are very few. I trust Remus, Minerva and Severus unreservedly. Harry and the return of Voldemort concern us all; how you fit into all of that I have yet to decipher."

"But what if you… I mean…"

"What if the way to who they are is not laid clear by the time of my death? I think there is more scope for optimism than either of us is inclined to acknowledge at the moment…"

Jessica stared into the fire and then back at Dumbledore.

"Severus – _what about Severus?_"

Dumbledore thought carefully before answering and Jessica knew that he was placing great faith in her with whatever it was he was about to say.

"I trust Severus Snape – which of course you know from your reading although you do not know precisely why. The reasons for that…"

"…_are between yourself and Professor Snape…_yes, so I have read God knows how many times._"_

"They are for you as well. But that is Severus' tale to tell, not mine and I have every reason to believe that he will, although when is anybody's guess."

"Fair enough, I suppose…"

"Is that enough for you to trust yourself with him again?"

Jessica sensed this was very important to Dumbledore.

"Why – why do you care about silly things like romance with everything else going on?"

"Because in the midst of so much tragedy it would be good to know that there is some love and happiness that will survive it all…and that he will not spend the rest of his life alone and bitter because of it."

"Funny – Professor McGonagall says something very similar in the future... and you talk like you think Severus will really come out of all of this alive and out of Azkaban…"

"She and I go back a long way – and I daresay she knows me well enough to come to that conclusion, although she undoubtedly was not referring to Severus in your book. There is always hope – and where there is hope there may well be opportunity as impossible as it seems."

Dumbledore pulled out two Sherbet Lemons from his pocket and handed one to Jessica.

"So what do we do now, Professor?"

"_Albus_ – we go on and we face each day as it comes on its own merits."

"But Pettigrew…"

"I don't think Lord Voldemort would much care for having a servant in Harry Potter's debt; and the day may very well come when Harry will be most grateful and very fortunate that that is the case."

"Déjà vu…"

"I know it's hard, Jessica," Dumbledore said touching one of her cheeks and stroking away a tear. "But I need for you to be strong for me. We know what must be done and we will face it – all of us – when it comes. Whatever is necessary for the greater good of us all we will do. But I warn you – the repercussions can be far worse if we interfere than if we do not, like dominos collapsing…_we can act – but we MUST be very careful!_"

Jessica nodded gravely.

"The Order of the Phoenix…"

"Will you stand beside us when the time comes?"

"I'm just a Muggle! I'm useless – I can't do magic…"

"Well – in a manner of speaking not like us, not that I can tell so far. But there is much you can do…"

"What on earth could that possibly be?"

"Be there to help us through it all…as you should as you do now."

Jessica wasn't convinced, but nodded her agreement anyway.

"Sometimes the simplest things can be the greatest asset in times of need…"

"There's that rhetoric again…"

Dumbledore chuckled.

"I can see you will do your best to keep us all grounded. I thank you sincerely for that."

There were a multitude of questions flying through her head, but a glance at the clock on Dumbledore's mantelpiece told her it was very late and they had missed dinner.

"You needed me, Jessica, and that was far more important. I am always here for you and will do the best I can by you with what lies ahead."

"Professor – I just realised something…"

Dumbledore nodded and leaned forward.

"_If the books are a chronicle of historic fact; and my coming was meant and I stay on then why aren't I in them?"_

Dumbledore's eyes widened in surprise and then blazed with triumph.

"The most obvious of questions and even I didn't think of it."

"Well the fact is that I am here and I am becoming very involved with the school and all of you – but there is no record of it, not from Rowling… The only mentions of the library have to do with Madam Pince…and its written like nothing ever changed… As far as Rowling is concerned, I don't exist!"

"Then that sheds a great and very important light on the matters concerning us. What that is precisely I need to think about before discussing it further with you."

"My head is about to burst anyway…"

"Get some sleep, Jessica. You work far too hard and you will need some time for your magical education."

"But I have already had it…"

"The theory, yes… but as you say there is more to life than what you read in books… Your lessons begin next week, eight o'clock here in my office weekdays. You have a lot of practical work to catch up on. And bring your wand."

"Ok…" Jessica said, yawning as she stood.

"How do you feel now?"

"Honestly…relieved… really relieved… but scared too…"

"We are here – and we will all face it together. But there is something far more important which must concern you now?"

"What?" Jessica sighed wearily as Dumbledore walked her to his office door.

"Severus… and how you two will find your way back to each other."


	12. Déjà Vu

**Plot, new characters, new magical terms and abilities etc. are my intellectual property. If you want to borrow then please kindly ask. JK Rowling's characters and Wizarding Universe are all uniquely hers.**

**Summary: AU: What if everything we ever read in JK Rowling's books was real – including the people characterised? What would you do if you found yourself caught up in that reality knowing what was to come? SS, RL, OC **

**_Authors Note:_ _It has been mentioned in the story but now I am noting it here. I am a fan of Diana Gabaldon's 'Outlander'/'Cross Stitch' series and definitely was influenced by that in writing this story – i.e. the Standing Stones and traveling through time. But I also love Philip Pullman's 'His Dark Materials' series and the tv programme 'Sliders' and the alternate universes alongside ours idea comes from there no doubt._**

**Fantasy/Drama**

**This story is rated R/M.**

**ENIGMA**

**Chapter 012: Déjà Vu**

In the absence of a personal life Jessica threw herself into her work. She had always been that way. Her thinking was that the busier she was the less opportunity to wallow in self-pity. It was easy enough when she was in the Library, but another thing altogether when she was alone in her own quarters, the Jarvey notwithstanding.

Still no one saw her at meals, and Dumbledore was at a loss as to what could be done to bridge the chasm of repressed emotions keeping she and Severus apart. Alone in the confines of his office, the Headmaster felt guilty for having to lie to her. He had lied, but with the best of intentions possible. He did know why she was meant to come, but just as it was not for him or anyone else to know about her alternate reality and the facts contained in the books it also was not for her to know why her life had so drastically changed. She had come and for the most simplest of reasons, yet one that would have far-reaching implications. It would happen so fast, so instantly, that it would be some time afterwards before Jessica had that understanding for herself.

A chill ran up his back and Dumbledore thought to himself, _'someone just walked over my grave…'_

He stared almost unseeing out of a window facing in the direction of the Astronomy Tower.

"No purpose is served by dwelling on the inevitable…" he said softly as his eyes swept around the room once more and lingered on his Phoenix resting peacefully on its perch.

But he knew Jessica, better than she realised. And he knew that sooner rather than later she would make an attempt to alter what was to come. It was human nature and his Library Sciences Administrator was very much caught up in her own humanity. He expected nothing less from her because she cared so much about the world and people that had become her refuge even in fiction. The Headmaster was well aware of the probable outcome of her efforts and all he could do was make sure that Severus would do the only thing he could when the time came.

**xxxXXXxxx**

Jessica looked up at the clock on her desk; only 15 minutes let – too late to make on time to the Great Hall. So once again, she was going to have to have dinner in the relative comfort of her rooms with Harvey. Every night at 5:45 exactly Jessica talked herself out of going to down the Great Hall for Dinner. She did the same thing at 7:45 just before breakfast and the same thing yet again at 11:45 before lunch. And at 6pm, 8am and 12pm she cursed herself out royally for hiding away like some lovesick teenager. She wasn't a teenager, dammit. However, she was lovesick; lovesick and heartbroken.

If Ange were here she'd be telling her to stop wasting her time loving someone she hardly knew who could never love her back. God only knew what Ange would have made of this – what she would have made of the real life Severus Snape. No – she knew exactly what Ange would say:_ "It's his loss, the fuckwit tosser! Now get your arse down there with your head high and don't let the bastard see you sweat! You're stronger than that now act like it!"_

But Jessica couldn't face him; she just couldn't bring herself to do it and didn't know why. She knew what the Headmaster thought – what he seemed convinced of. As in fiction, Albus Dumbledore seemed to know far more about what went on under his roof than anyone gave him credit for. It was the same for those in his care as much as the situations they found themselves in. The more Jessica spent time with him the more she came to understand why he was such a great and powerful wizard: he knew people better than they knew themselves and he **was** capable of putting aside his own interests for the greater good of everyone.

Oh, she still thought that sometimes he could do better by just being straight with people and to stop manipulating things the way he did by lying by omission or telling a little white lie even if it was for the best. Of course it was easy for her to say on the outside looking in. She didn't know how Dumbledore could do it – how he could just get on with living a seemingly ordinary life with the tempest that was brewing around them and especially know that he knew her secret. Hindsight is always 20/20 and she had handed him ammunition on a platter – something none of his idiot Divination professors were capable of doing. She'd encountered Trelawney already; if there was ever a charlatan that got lucky it was her.

Jessica turned the clock away from her as she always did and went back to preparing her latest report for the staff meeting coming up. When she next thought to look at the clock it was almost ten o'clock. She'd missed dinner alright – and hadn't requested anything for herself and Harvey from the kitchens.

"This has got to stop," Jessica muttered under breath as she rubbed the tiredness from her eyes.

She organised her papers and then realised she needed to sort something out for Harvey if nothing else. "Hey sweetpea you hungry?" she called out.

There was no customary sigh of a squeak as she had come to expect.

"Harvey?"

Jessica padded over to the sofa and looked down. Harvey was fast asleep, surrounded by sweet wrappers.

"That's my boy," she said tenderly, looking at his chocolate smeared face. "You'll end up with a belly-ache if I'm not careful…"

There was a faint rumbling and reassured that Harvey was alright after tucking his blanket around him, Jessica decided to pay a visit to the kitchens

**xxxXXXxxx**

The castle always seemed eerie and forbidding at night with the students tucked away in their Houses. There were many secrets yet to be discovered within the hallowed walls of Hogwarts – but Jessica was no more interested in them now than she had ever been.

She supposed it must be different for kids brought up in the wizarding world who'd had family attend the school before them. But at that moment she was scared to death – she had always been afraid of the dark and had good reason to be given the dangers that would come from within in a few years time, if Rowling was right. Perhaps she ought to turn around and go back to her quarters – this was usually the point in the horror films of her world where the stupid idiot roaming the one place they shouldn't met a grisly end.

"**Roaming the corridors after curfew?"** came a voice, scaring her out of her wits.

"What – oh, Remus! You have a bad habit of sneaking up on me!" Jessica answered in a low hush.

"You have a bad habit of thinking too much and not paying attention to your environment…" came an equally soft reply. "Why are we whispering?"

"Because I'm scared shitless…"

"Oh, well that's alright then…"

"Cheeky bugger; I lost track of time and thought I'd go to the kitchens for something to eat…"

"All you had to do was summon…"

Too late Lupin remembered that Jessica couldn't summon the House Elves the way everyone else could. "How about an escort?" he asked gently.

"Even after what I said?"

"In spite of it…"

"You're too nice to me, Remus."

"That's just me…I am who I am Jessica."

"Why? There's a reason why you do what you do – or don't…"

Lupin didn't answer as they continued to walk.

"If I ask you something…would you answer?" Jessica asked softly as Lupin put an arm around her to stop her from shivering with cold.

"I'd do my best, depending on what it is. The Dark Arts giving you another headache?"

"No, not really. Things are becoming…quite clear…"

They continued on silence and Jessica realised that it was getting darker and darker. And then she understood why: there were no windows at all in this part of the castle – and something about that made her very uneasy. It nagged at her subconscious and she couldn't place a finger on it.

"Well – what's this question of yours then?" Remus asked, once again spooking her from her thoughts. "It must be a humdinger for me to catch you out again."

"It's erm, a rather personal one I suppose…"

"It's either personal or it isn't..."

"Personal; it's definitely personal…"

She was dimly aware that Lupin had turned to face her, but before she could speak he held up a hand.

"There is someone ahead…" he said in a low voice. "No – two people…"

Jessica froze.

"_No!" _she said in a hush.

Lupin didn't catch the look of recognition on her face, focused as he was on who lay up ahead.

"Stay behind me," he ordered. "It's probably the twins up to no good as usual – but be prepared to run if it isn't…"

Jessica nodded dumbly as Lupin moved forward swiftly, but silently with his wand out. There was a bright glow now that lit a small area just in front of them.

"_What's that – in your pocket?_" _came a cold and deadly voice as they drew near and stopped. _

Severus!

"_Just a spare bit of parchment…" Harry Potter replied as Jessica thought the same thing to herself._

"_Quite old to be a spare… Perhaps I should just… throw this away…"_

"_NO!"_

"_No? No! Potter, dear me; such grave concern over a bit of 'spare parchment'. OPEN IT; NOW!"_

There was a paper-like rustling that could only be one thing.

"_Professor Severus Snape commands you to reveal your secrets!" Snape hissed dangerously._

"_Read it!" he demanded after a brief moment._

There was more tense silence and then it was broken by Snape's voice once more.

"_Go on…!"_

"_Messers Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot & Prongs…" _Harry began. Jessica followed along in her head as he continued on reading. It was definitely different to what she remembered, but the end result was the same.

"_WHY YOU INSOLENT LITTLE…!"_ Severus bellowed, furious at the insults directed at him from the parchment.

"Professor Snape!" Jessica snapped, forgetting herself. Her eyes went wide. This was not how it was supposed to happen! She needed to get out of here and fast before she did something else stupid.

"**Miss Newkirk?" **Severus asked, clearly taken aback.

"_Ah, Harry!_ I was wondering when you were going to give that back to me. Great fun, eh?" she bluffed without thinking about it. "Zonko's is quite the business just as the twins said," she said snatching the parchment she knew to be the Marauder's Map away from him after moving into the light cast by Severus' wand.

"It hardly seems appropriate that Potter should be breaking curfew on your accord, Miss Newkirk. And conveniently carrying a bag of products that could have only come from Hogsmeade, where he is not supposed to be under any circumstances."

"He has a note – from me… to come to the Library…" Jessica replied in an odd voice before she could stop herself. "I was working late again – trying to find some things he needs for you as a matter of fact. He was going to show me some things Ron Weasley picked up for him – I find this all rather interesting…and it helps break the monotony that is researching and writing all these unnecessary essays that have nothing to do with the curriculum set for the term…"

It wasn't impossible given the direction that Harry seemed to be headed in. But Snape was much too clever to fall for her excuses and both Jessica and Harry knew it. She had also just called him out on his attempt to stitch up Lupin, and there had to be a price to pay for that. All was definitely lost between them. But she'd also meant that for Lupin as well, as she knew he'd set his classes to working on a useless project about vampires.

"The note! Now!" Severus said taking a menacing step forward towards Harry.

"W…What?"

"Cat got your tongue, Potter? As a master of this school catching you clearly out of bounds after curfew I have every right to see this note, if it indeed exists!"

"PROFESSOR!" Lupin said in a slight raised tone of voice. "I hardly think that's necessary under the circumstances. Surely Miss Newkirk's word is enough."

"Well, well, well. Out for a walk by the light of the silvery **moon**, Lupin? As it so happens I am not in agreement! Empty your pockets, Potter or we can do this in the Headmaster's office!"

Jessica had on a large baggy men's-style shirt that covered the pockets of her Muggle jeans. One hand was tucked behind her back and she felt a faint _pop _in a back pocket. She just managed to slip it out and into one of Harry's own as Lupin argued with Severus. Harry looked at her in surprise and she shook her head 'no'.

"'_No'_ – what, Miss Newkirk," Snape said returning his attention to her.

"I beg your pardon?"

"You just shook your head _'no'_ at Potter. Don't waste our time trying to deny it!"

"Not that you really care, but _'no' _– I don't think it's a good idea if Harry and I head off to review the rewrite of his werewolf essay that you keep insisting upon under the circumstances."

"_Is that a fact…" _Snape said appraisingly. Jessica was lying to him. He didn't know how he knew or for what unearthly reason – but she was definitely lying.

Harry whipped out the note and thrust it forward with a slightly shaking hand. Snape snatched the note hard and read it, fuming that for all intents and purposes it just wasn't possible to catch Potter out this time. His black eyes were filled with loathing as they moved from Harry to Jessica and then back to Harry again. That note had surely just been conjured; if he were a betting man no doubt his office would be heaving with sacks of galleons. Not being able to do anything about the note, he returned his attention to the parchment which Jessica was holding onto so tightly the veins were popping out of her hands.

"That is clearly a Dark Object!" Snape hissed. "And as such…"

"I doubt it sincerely, but there is only one way to find out," Lupin said as he held out his hand for the map. "I will test it, but I think it will be proven to be a legitimate Zonko's product."

Jessica knew she couldn't protest, as it would seem very odd. She handed over the parchment and wisely decided to stay silent on the matter.

"I… I should get back to my rooms," she said slowly.

"Yes – why don't you go back to your hidey-hole like a good little girl!" Snape snarled.

Both Harry and Lupin looked at him incredulously, but Harry was clearly disgusted by Snape's treatment of one of his favourite staff members.

"I will escort you, Jessica," said Lupin. "Harry, come with us please. We will see you back to the Tower."

Snape looked furious and Jessica couldn't tell what it was that pissed him off more; Harry Potter getting the best of him once again, or the fact that he'd done it with her help and both were aided and abetted by his enemy.

**xxxXXXxxx**

They had reached Lupin's classroom where he gave Harry the bollocking Jessica knew was coming. Of course, Remus being Remus he was a cross between 'Father Knows Best' and Mr. Chips as always.

"I don't want to hear any excuses, Harry," Lupin said shortly. "Your life is in danger. I would have thought that with everything that has happened, hearing how your parents died to save your life when the Dementors draw near would mean more to you. This is how you repay them; throwing away their sacrifice for the sake of a thrill from a bag of cheap magic tricks. I can't expect you to respect that or to take the threat of Sirius Black seriously, that much is obvious. But don't expect me to cover up for you again." Lupin turned to Jessica. "Is there anything you want to add?"

Jessica hesitated; Harry clearly felt lower than he'd done during the altercation with Snape.

"I think you have said enough for the both of us," she said quietly. Lupin nodded in agreement and then went into his office where Jessica and Harry both knew he would lock away the map.

There was just no argument. Aside from the truth of Lupin's words, Harry felt doubly bad that he had let him down. He looked over at Jessica who looked just as grim as Lupin explained he knew all about the map.

Of course, Jessica knew that one night fairly soon Snape would walk in to find Lupin's office empty and the map on his desk, yet another twist of fate taking them all places they would scarcely believe.

But at least she had already had one thing confirmed: she had tried to change the history which would cause that twist of fate and failed miserably. It seemed that it was meant to be and apparently for the sake of the greater good, as much as she found it a bitter pill to swallow.

**xxxXXXxxx**

Remus and Jessica saw Harry through the portrait of the Fat Lady which guarded Gryffindor Tower and then he escorted her to her quarters. He had been quiet, almost unusually so and Jessica was oblivious to it lost as she was in her own thoughts yet again.

"You asked me if I would answer a question with the truth, Lupin began cautiously. "Can I ask the same from you?"

"Hmm? What – oh well depends on the question… but yes…"

"'Depends on the question'…honest enough I guess…." Lupin said as they reached her front door.

Jessica looked at him with a closed expression and opened the door. Not surprisingly, she could hear Harvey calling for her.

"Damn – I never did get him dinner…"

She rushed in immediately forgetting Lupin.

"Mummy! I woke up and you were gone!" Harvey cried theatrically.

"OK little man I'm here now. I went to go get some dinner…"

The little Jarvey's eyes widened in horror and then he started screaming the house down.

"Harvey! What's wrong with you!" Jessica snapped. After the night she'd had, there was little patience left for childish hysterics.

The Jarvey started crying and backed up to the far end of the sofa away from the entrance to their hallway; away from the front door where Lupin stood.

"_Werewolf!" _Harvey screamed through his tears. _"Go away! Werewolf!" _he screamed over and over pointing at Lupin.

Jessica turned around slowly to face Lupin after pleading with the still screaming Jarvey to stop – and found that he'd fled.

"Fuck!" she hissed under her breath. "Fuck, fuck, FUCK!"

Harvey kept on howling and Jessica gathered him in her arms.

"He's not a bad man, Harvey," she tried to explain. "He just has a…'little furry problem'…"

"Werewolves bad!" the little Jarvey cried. "Werewolves eat Jarveys!"

Jessica couldn't argue with that. Though it was known that werewolves preyed on humans, if they were desperate enough driven by hunger and bloodlust they would take what they could get their hands on. Jarveys weren't human as such, but they were humanoid enough. A little butterball like Harvey would be a tasty treat for a werewolf in the wild.

"That one wouldn't, Harvey," Jessica explained to no avail. "He's not like other's of his kind."

"No! MUMMY NO!"

"Alright; alright, nevermind that. Mummy won't bring him around even though he is Mummy's friend ok?"

Harvey sniffed and his little pouty lips trembled. "I don't like it…" he whimpered. "I want Daddy!"

"Harvey it is not up to you the company that I keep! Remus can't help what he is! And he wouldn't be here if the Headmaster believed he could hurt anyone! Jarveys aren't liked or trusted either in this world – you aren't like the rest of your kind and that's why you are allowed to stay here! You're no better than Professor Lupin and you need to understand that. You've been safe behind closed doors where you don't have to face the prejudices of this world or your place in it. I can see I don't do you any favours by going along with what you want. It's going to stop, Harvey. The day is going to come where you will have to fend for yourself without me; you can't stay locked away in here forever."

Harvey wasn't used to being chastised and Jessica could see that he was hurt by it. But she was not going to go down the thorny road of Severus Snape and what they no longer seemed to mean to him – if they had ever meant anything. Life didn't always give people what they wanted, and Harvey needed to accept it.

"I have to do what's right, Harvey. I'm your Mum and I have to raise you as I see fit and do right by you; and in doing that sometimes it's going to hurt – both of us. I'm not enjoying this…and I am going to start taking my own advice too. But suffice it to say that just as you are unique amongst your kind so is Remus Lupin amongst the werewolves."

Her eyes wandered over to the doorway leading to the hallway where Harvey was pointing. On the table which Remus had been standing next to was a tray laden with fried chicken, French fries and apple crumble for dessert. There was a pitcher of cranberry juice for her and a small bottle of milk for Harvey. There something else too – a massive slab of what she recognised was Honeyduke's best chocolate.

Jessica scooped Harvey up in her arms and walked over to their feast, faintly smiling despite her sadness. "Remus, I'm so sorry…" she murmured to herself.

"Mummy where did that come from?"

"It came from our friend Professor Lupin, the werewolf. I never made it to the kitchen and he knew I was worried about feeding you. Remember that before you judge him and scare him off again."

* * *

First of all – let me welcome my three new reviewers -wolf whistles- thanks so much for your support and encouragement! The reviews keep me going and I will put my hand up to being a review addict! -hint hint-

**Alge28** – God Almighty I LOVE Diana Gabaldon and am reading the latest book when I can. No Snape is not going to be a wizarding Jaime Fraser as such. But there are some useful ideas romantically I could make use of but only if it seemed likely. In the case of Snape I am not convinced LOL! He seems to have other ideas given the way this story is going!

**SailorHecate** – Glad you like what I am doing and hope you are in it for the duration!

**TessaCilory** – I was hoping the premise alone would be an eye-catching one as I don't think I have ever seen it anywhere before… and with the 6th Book the possibilities are endless I think. I am having fun – but it's stressful to seeing really good stats but so few reviews. I can only hope that I am doing alright with this – this is probably my fav of all my stories. But I will have to return my attention to my other fics as people are losing patience waiting LOL!

**Sasha **– Oh I understand about work. I am praying that this old bucket of bolts computer I have at home holds out until I can get a new one and transfer all the data. There are so many controls at work it's impossible for me to do anything there.


	13. Lightning Crashes

**Plot, new characters, new magical terms and abilities etc. are my intellectual property. If you want to borrow then please kindly ask. JK Rowling's characters and Wizarding Universe are all uniquely hers.**

**Summary: AU: What if everything we ever read in JK Rowling's books was real – including the people characterised? What would you do if you found yourself caught up in that reality knowing what was to come? SS, RL, OC **

**_Authors Note:_ _It has been mentioned in the story but now I am noting it here. I am a fan of Diana Gabaldon's 'Outlander'/'Cross Stitch' series and definitely was influenced by that in writing this story – i.e. the Standing Stones and traveling through time. But I also love Philip Pullman's 'His Dark Materials' series and the tv programme 'Sliders' and the alternate universes alongside ours idea comes from there no doubt._**

**Fantasy/Drama**

**This story is rated R/M.**

**ENIGMA**

**Chapter 013: Lightning Crashes**

It was some time before Jessica saw Remus again. He was avoiding her and so she had no choice but to go see him. He was hunched over his desk in his office, nose buried in a book that he really wasn't reading and hadn't been for the last two hours – a book that she had given him for his birthday.

"Mind if I come in?" she asked softly.

Lupin's head snapped up and he looked almost afraid of her.

"I think it's time we had a chat Remus, don't you?"

"I… I… suppose so…"

Jessica took a seat and warmed her hands at his fire. "I'm sorry that Harvey went off like that; but you took off that night without me saying so. He knows you are my friend and that you aren't like the others he and his kind have encountered. He also got a ticking off about what Jarveys tend to be like and how they are regarded in this world. You and he are in the same boat and I think he understands that now."

"But I am not about to be a dinner guest, now am I?"

"You still have your first time to even extend an invitation yourself, Remus; let's not play that game."

"It is true though."

"Harvey is a child, just a baby by Jarvey standards. And as a single parent (Jessica shook her head at the thought)… He looks at me as his mother – and I have a responsibility towards him. I can't just have people dropping into his life not knowing whether or not for sure if they are going to be around. He gets very attached and easily upset when he thinks he's being rejected – and he thinks its all his fault that I am alone and miserable. I have to be careful with him. I can't help it that he saw you for what you were right off – and never in a million years would I have expected that or that he could be so scared. It's a complicated problem with no easy solution. But at the end of the day, I can't force the issue with him about you and I won't…"

"Given the essays people have been running to you about I would have thought you'd have recognised me for what I am sooner."

"I did – I was just…cautious…in bringing it up to start with. And then when I was going to ask, we were interrupted."

"That night with Severus and Harry; that was the personal question wasn't it – whether or not I am a werewolf?"

Jessica sighed and took the cup of tea Lupin offered her. "Yes," she answered quietly staring into its murky depths.

"Mmm hmm," Lupin grunted, giving her an appraising look. "But why is it that I think you knew long before this, Jessica? Why is it that sometimes I think you know more about me than I really want you to? You took Harvey's outburst just a little too quickly and calmly in your stride... You seem to take a lot of things in your stride about all this and it's not right. You aren't exactly what you appear to be, are you?"

Jessica blinked and wiped away a stray tear. "I'm sorry – but I can't…I can't answer that as much as I would like to."

Lupin was nothing less than incredulous, and perhaps a bit angry. The look on his face was a revelation – and Jessica didn't know how to take it.

"I have already had a much needed meeting of the minds with the Headmaster, Remus. Full disclosure and I am still here. Suffice it to say – I am on the side of the good and when the time comes I will do my bit for the cause – useless Muggle cow that I am…"

"Right… Well, I suppose that settles it then. Albus has his reasons and it's not for me to know what they are. But thank you for at least not lying to me, even if you won't be straight with me as a close friend."

"I have lied by omission – I don't like it but it is necessary. The Headmaster will tell you what he wants you to know, if he wants you to know anything. Our friendship is one thing, and your safety is another. There are risks, huge risks all the way around…I just can't go back on my agreement with Dumbledore."

"Fine. Fair enough."

But Lupin was very hurt she wouldn't confide in him and anyone could see that.

Jessica had the sinking feeling that their relationship wasn't just friendship for him. But Remus being Remus, she knew he would never confront her about it.

**xxxXXXxxx**

Jessica was mystified. Every morning there was a full English breakfast for she and Harvey along with bowls of porridge and fruit; at lunch a tray with the day's menu appeared for her in her office and at night when she returned it was to find Harvey perched in a highchair of sorts (which had also appeared out of nowhere not long ago) at their dinner table which was laden with more food than they could possibly eat between them. She had gone back on her promise to herself to stop hiding away, d in spite of it had found that every need was seen to – just like always.

"See how good Professor Lupin is to us," Jessica said with a look during her latest dinner with the little Jarvey. She had just rushed in, taking care not to run into any late stragglers on their way to the Great Hall. And once again Harvey had hit her with a barrage about Severus; a barrage that didn't make any since given the long time it had been since the Jarvey had last seen his saviour. "Not all werewolves are bad…hopefully one day you will understand that."

Harvey didn't say anything and just went back to stuffing his face.

"You're going to choke in a minute eating so fast," she admonished him.

"Daddy is good to us; Daddy loves Harvey and Mummy! Daddy would do anything for us but you…" the little Jarvey blurted out even though he knew he shouldn't.

"For God's sake! Will you cut the crap about Snape! Just shut up! I have had **enough** of your prattle about him to last a bloody lifetime! Morning, noon and night the same old song and I am sick to death of it! He doesn't care about us! He never cared! It never meant anything to him, none of it! Nothing I did or said meant anything!" Jessica thundered.

Harvey flinched and then burst into tears as Jessica stormed from the room. There was the tell-tale sound of the door to her bedroom slamming. She must really be mad, he thought, because it was a loud thud, a lot louder than usual. She screamed and once it again it seemed that he'd made her upset by trying to talk to her about his father even though he really wasn't supposed to.

But he had gone too far and his usual tears and upset weren't going to work.

**xxxXXXxxx**

It wasn't like Jessica to not come out after calming down. Harvey knew his beloved mummy better than anyone other than Dumbledore – and he knew something was wrong. He looked at the clock on a side table. It was almost midnight; something was definitely wrong. It never took her this long to calm down. It was past his bedtime and she hadn't even put him down for the night.

The little Jarvey flung himself off the sofa and toddled out of the room and down the hallway as quick as his little legs would carry him. The door to the bedroom was closed; the first time Jessica had ever fully shut it. Usually she just closed it so that there was only a small crack. She always made it easy for Harvey to get to her if he got scared of sleeping on his own, which was pretty much every night. Jessica still woke up every morning to find him fast asleep sighing breezily next to her with his head on her shoulder.

"Mummy?" the little Jarvey squeaked as his lips started to quiver.

There was no answer and he starting banging on the door. "Mummy please talk to Harvey!"

Still there was no answer.

Harvey kept pounding and scratching at the door until he burrowed right through it.

"MUMMY!" he cried at seeing Jessica sprawled on the floor, blood oozing from wounds on her head and face. There was a foot-long spike sticking out of her head at an angle.

"Mummy please get up, please!" Harvey begged as he shook her gently to no avail.

"HELP! HELP!" he cried through his tears still shaking his mother.

It was no use. His Mummy had gone to the Otherworld. "Mummy don't leave me! Don't leave Harvey!" I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

Harvey gave her a gentle poke on a bloodied cheek and still no response.

"I love you Mummy! I promise I won't make you cry anymore if you wake up!"

But his Mummy didn't wake up. Jessica did not stir so much as a muscle. There was only one thing he could do, and Harvey reluctantly turned away from his mother's cold body and flew down the hallway once more.

**xxxXXXxxx**

The little Jarvey inched down the corridor outside Jessica's rooms slowly. It was cold and dark, very dark and he was afraid, more afraid than when he was abandoned in the Forbidden Forest. A ghost whooshed by and then something rattled in the darkness up ahead as he cowered in fear.

"Harvey doesn't like it," he squeaked under his breath.

He sat still in the hall, hiding behind his hands while precious minutes ticked away. Slowly he picked himself up again and wiped away his tears which continued to flow unabated. He had no idea where he was going and it seemed to him that the safest place was at home with his mother. But this place was their home too and his mother was dead.

The little Jarvey was desperate to find his Daddy – the only one who could make things right, just as he always did. Daddy had told him something about what to do if he needed him just the other day and Harvey kept forgetting. It was hard to remember anything being so scared so he had no choice but to keep moving.

On and on he moved, until finally he decided to just to run. Harvey ran faster and faster, barely taking in his surroundings. He kept going until he collided with something, a something that growled in the dimness of the torch-lit hall in which he'd come to a stop.

He looked up – and found himself staring into familiar black eyes.

"What the… _Harvey_?" Severus asked, clearly taken aback. God how he hated that name! It pained him to even have to verbalise it. But something was wrong. No one other than he and Jessica knew how the little Jarvey was scared of the world outside his home; other than the two of them only Hagrid, McGonagall, Dumbledore and Lupin knew about the Jarvey in their midst. The rest of the staff would have gone berserk – the werewolf set everyone's nerves on edge as it was and then there was the not-so-small matter of convicted murderer Sirius Black being on the loose. A foreboding chill went up Snape's back as he wondered what had driven Harvey out of his sanctuary.

"Daddy!" the little Jarvey cried as he trembled and his little bud of a mouth quivered. "Daddy help Mummy!"

"Help? Help your mother? What's going on? What's happened?" Snape asked in a heated rush as he scooped Harvey up into his arms. He had been trying to get Harvey to stop calling him Daddy – as pointless as it was. Still, it was nice to be needed, and thought he wouldn't admit it – it was very nice to be loved again, even by a Jarvey.

"Mummy – Mummy left Harvey!"

"LEFT?" Snape roared. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN SHE LEFT?"

'_Damn her for leaving me'_, Severus thought, thinking only of himself as Harvey burst into sobs._ 'Damn her for being such a coward and for going to the Stones'_. But it was madness, suicidal even to think she would make it out there with every nook and cranny swarming with Dementors – Dementors which had not been able to feed for some time and which were ferociously hungry. He wouldn't want to live in Hogsmeade for all the galleons in Gringotts – having to make it home behind closed doors by sunset and barricade all entrances against them. No – she couldn't have done and she wouldn't. She wouldn't just go without so much as a bye-your-leave…would she?

"Mummy left Harvey and Daddy… _M…mummy is g…gone… t…to…the Otherworld!_"

"No!" Snape croaked as he drew Harvey tighter. "No, no, NO!"

He tore down corridors and up staircases and down even more corridors flying like the wind. Goddamn McGonagall for having put Jessica so far away from everyone. She had proven herself hadn't she? He would see to it that she was given new quarters alongside the rest of them even if it meant going to the Headmaster of his own accord.

After what felt like an eternity he stormed through Jessica's front door and steamed down the hallway. He burst into her bedroom and nearly dropped Harvey from the shocking sight which greeted him.

"Oh God no," Snape moaned as he dropped to the cold stone floor. There wasn't even so much as a rug – it was no wonder his beloved was blue with cold. It was the cold of the room, nothing else he tried to convince himself. He placed Harvey up on the bed where it was warm and the little Jarvey lay under the throw on top with his head hanging over the side where he could see his parents.

Snape gathered Jessica in his arms and stroked her fringe back from her face as he'd done that night at the inn. For the first time his eyes registered the candelabra that had come down from the ceiling. It had come crashing down on Jessica and split her head open on top, driving in a ferocious-looking spike. Being unconscious for so long was dangerous, very dangerous even in the wizarding world. Unconscious – that is what she was; no, she was not dead he kept trying to convince himself.

"Mummy's not d… not gone to the Otherworld," he croaked not looking at Harvey. "She's just unconscious…that's it; that's all it is. Mummy is unconscious…that's all it is…"

"B…but…"

"I will not let her leave us, Harvey. Not now, not ever," Snape said rising carefully at last and holding tight to the woman he knew he loved without a shadow of a doubt. "You can't be here by yourself; come with me…"

**xxxXXXxxx**

"I've tried everything, Headmaster – I…I suppose that given she is a Muggle my best efforts are not good enough," Snape whispered savagely.

Dumbledore leaned forward in his chair with his hands clasped and raised to his mouth, watching Jessica for any sign of movement.

"No, Severus. You have done more than even I have a right to expect of you under the circumstances. I think it is more an issue with Jessica herself…"

The Potions Master looked away; he looked away from the woman he had done this to. "She has lost the will to fight, lost the will to live…"

"I believe so, yes."

"Everything I touch…"

"Does not turn to poison, Severus."

There was a faint sniff and given its rarity Dumbledore could not simply ignore it.

"Do the one thing that has eluded you," Dumbledore said rising and walking to the door of Jessica's room in the infirmary wing.

"And that is?"

"Talk to her. Reason with her. It can work if you want it to," the Headmaster replied gently. "The only one who has needed convincing is yourself.."

"What can I possibly say that she will care to hear, if she can hear me at all?"

"If in your heart of hearts you know that you love Jessica, tell her; or else you **will** lose her…"

Snape looked at Dumbledore with red eyes ringed with dark circles and puffy bags. He was hopeless – and helpless. He did not like being either but that is what he was. There wasn't a magical solution to their dilemma, only a spiritual one. And spirituality most definitely was not his forte.

"A leap of faith, Severus. You wanted her to trust you, to have faith in you, to believe in you. You have believed in her more than she has ever believed in herself. I know it has not been in your nature to be concerned with your emotional well being or anyone else's; but give her reason to come back… Only you can do that."

"No…" Snape croaked. "Please…"

"She has not crossed over. But once gone from us she cannot come back to life. If you find her worthy enough then the words should come."

'_I can even put a stopper – in Death'_ Snape had intoned so many times over the years during his first lecture to every first class of the school's First Years. How egotistical and far-fetched it seemed with Jessica laying there, her life force ebbing away with each passing second because he was so bloody…_scared_.

"Potions and charms aren't always the answer, but you don't need me tell you that," Dumbledore said breaking the uneasy silence and then closing the door after picking up a protesting Harvey and taking the little Jarvey with him.

Once again – Snape was being left to stand or fall of his own accord.

**xxxXXXxxx**

He blinked rapidly in the dimness of the room and tried to sniff back his tears. But it was no use. Snape moved from his chair to the bed and lay down next to Jessica, taking her cold still body into his arms.

"You are the only one – the only one besides my mother and perhaps the Headmaster who ever gave a damn about me," he croaked in anguish. "But no one has ever loved me, stood by me, understood me as you do. You are everything I ever needed, Jessica and I don't want to have to go back to what it was like before you."

Snape leaned over and kissed her. Her lips were blue and ice cold. There was no warmth for him, no passion. His name did not cross her lips as he recalled from their time together at the inn. Through every kiss, every heated thrust of his manhood she had called out his name wanting so much more and giving all that she was to him. So tender she had been; so tender and so warm. She had given him so much and he had been so careless and undeserving.

"You need to be warm," he muttered deliriously as he conjured more blankets around them. "You need… you need so much better than what I can give you!"

As if in response, her skin went just a bit colder.

"No! Please! I don't mean that – but I…"

The room was going colder and he felt…something…odd. He knew this feeling, he knew it well.

Having taken so many lives how could he pretend otherwise?

"You can't, you mustn't leave me!" Snape whispered. "I am not the man that I was! There is so much I want to give to you, so much I want for us to have together no matter how impossible it seems! I have feared the Dark Lord's return and what he will do! Loving you will put you at a great risk you have no comprehension of. I have struggled, Jessica! I have struggled with loving you and wanting you so much and knowing what he would do to you were I to make a mistake or not be as strong in his presence as I need to be! I do not care about myself – my life has always been at risk even from those who followed him. I do not like Lucius Malfoy but only because of him have I been able to carry on as I have without serious threat from the others. It is just a matter of time before the Dark Lord returns – and as much as you are my salvation I am not yours!"

Snape buried his head in Jessica's cold shoulder and howled in despair.

"Please; please forgive me! I just wanted to do the right thing! I need you, Jessica! I need you so much – I need you to love me again and I need… I need… I need to know that you don't hate me…that you still want my love as much as I want yours!"

The Potions Master removed her gown and his clothes. He wrapped his body around hers, willing her to warm up and then caressed a cold cheek.

"That night meant everything to me Jessica. And every night since then all I have wanted was what we shared in that moment. I would do anything for you, my love. I made mistakes; we both have. But we can start again, you and I together… And if I have to walk through hellfire and brimstone so that we make it through I will!"

There was a tense stillness that seemed to exacerbate his heartache.

"I need absolution, Jessica; and only you can give it to me," he whispered sleepily. "I love you, God how much I love you!"

He struggled against the sleep overtaking his body to no avail.

Snape closed his eyes and fell into a troubled slumber scarcely knowing what awaited him when he next opened his eyes.


	14. Crossing Over and Back Again

**Plot, new characters, new magical terms and abilities etc. are my intellectual property. If you want to borrow then please kindly ask. JK Rowling's characters and Wizarding Universe are all uniquely hers.**

**Summary: AU: What if everything we ever read in JK Rowling's books was real – including the people characterised? What would you do if you found yourself caught up in that reality knowing what was to come? SS, RL, OC **

**_Authors Note:_ _It has been mentioned in the story but now I am noting it here. I am a fan of Diana Gabaldon's 'Outlander'/'Cross Stitch' series and definitely was influenced by that in writing this story – i.e. the Standing Stones and traveling through time. But I also love Philip Pullman's 'His Dark Materials' series and the tv programme 'Sliders' and the alternate universes alongside ours idea comes from there no doubt._**

**_This chapter has got some cough slightly erotic undertones towards the end… nothing outlandish and certainly not explicit! Ahm just letting you all know…_**

**Fantasy/Drama**

**This story is rated R/M.**

**ENIGMA**

**Chapter 014: Crossing Over and Back Again**

_She had never felt a peace such as this. There was no hurt, no pain or worries. The moonlight reflected off the landscape encrusted in snow and ice and it seemed a multitude in the expanse of the universe cried out to her. She moved swiftly across the grounds, above the tree-tops and then around the castle._

_Some – instinct – bid her to not go into the force that was calling from the hills beyond. It was calling her as it had never done in life. It was seductive; haunting and even frightening in its intensity, but undeniably seductive. She started to move towards it and then hesitated. She turned back to the castle and moved swiftly downwards, searching…_

_She saw Him…_

_And whatever it was that called her to it was not match for what was drawing her back to Him…_

_She could see Him and she could see everything all at once._

_Focus._

_Yes… she had to focus…_

_She looked down and realised it was the shell that had been her human form lying on a cold stone floor in a pool of blood. She watched as the thing poked a cheek and cried like the young changeling it did not yet know it was. It had been set apart from the others because it was not one of the others. He was one of the rarest of all his kind and had been rejected for it. She didn't know how she knew, but she knew…_

_And her attention was drawn once again to Him; stalking the corridors like a caged panther._

_The rhythm and the heat of Him…_

_She looked back at the glow in the distance from whence she had come._

'_Not yet,' she thought to herself and then the glow calmed._

_Focus…_

_Once more she turned her attention, and the undeniable power she seemed to have, to the thing inside…and began to move upwards slowly. She climbed – or did she float? – steadily upwards. She peered through darkened windows into rooms which had been uninhabited for as long as the castle had existed._

"_Harvey doesn't like it," the thing squeaked under its breath. She didn't know how she knew, but she knew…_

_She kept moving upwards and then willed the thing to move in the darkness all the while guiding Him and it; willing them to find each other in the darkness which frightened her and it so much. Something was coming for her and she didn't like it._

_He and it found each other finally; the collision of the two was like a new star being born. She moved upwards and her awareness of what was coming increased the higher she drew. She saw Him – finally she saw Him. He had taken the earthly form into his arms and began to cry softly behind the curtains of black hair that framed the imperfectly elegant features of his face._

_Why did he cry? Why did such a beautiful being cry?_

_She moved forwards and then found herself watching Him as he sat in frustration and despair watching the still, sold form in the bed somewhere else in the castle._

"_If in your heart of hearts you know that you love Jessica, tell her; or else you **will** lose her…" the old man standing at the door said._

_Did he love the mortal being she realised that she had been? _

"_Potions and charms aren't always the answer, but you don't need me tell you that," the old man said in parting as the uneasy silence was broken. He then closed the door after picking up the thing which didn't seem too happy about it and taking it with him._

_She moved closer and reached out to touch Him but thought better of it. Did He love what she had been in life? Did he truly?_

_He and she were all alone now; all alone for the first time in many phases of the moon._

_Moonchild…_

_Isn't that what she had been called in a time that no more than the blink of an eye in the great beyond…? She could see it now; she could see the home that she'd left behind. The home that she'd never really felt part of no matter what she had said to the werewolf…_

_Moonchild Who Soars Through the Heavens…_

'_A child of Destiny', the Sachem had said so long ago. In so doing it had turned some of her people against her. But it was true: she was Destiny's Child and had to have been when she came into that world only to come into this…_

_Being there and now here was proof of that._

_But Something was coming for her and she didn't like it…_

_She started to move away towards the glow that was calling for her and felt Him panic at the change in atmosphere he rightly perceived. He was scared and it frightened him. The fact that he could be frightened scared her too._

_She watched as the man tenderly undressed the form and then himself. He drew the body close to him and confessed the deepest feelings and worries of his heart._

_He loved what she had been; what she could be again._

_There was a choice._

"_I want to wake up now," she spoke into the ether. She was ready for this dream to be over._

_That was what it was – wasn't it?_

_She felt It coming and started to panic even though it made no sense why she should do so. If she could feel then that could only mean…_

'_Severus' she whimpered as looked worryingly in the distance. There was a tense stillness that seemed to exacerbate her fear._

"_I need absolution, Jessica; and only you can give it to me," He whispered sleepily. "I love you, God how much I love you!"_

"_Severus!" she screamed as she felt it coming closer. She wanted this dream to be over, she wanted to wake up. She wanted to be with Him where she belonged; where she should be._

_She realised what was coming and knew that she had to protect Him… It wasn't just her that It would want... In the end, when all was said and done, it would be Him that It wanted just as much as her. There was something about them, the two of them together…It wanted that._

_For the last time she moved outside of the window and into the deepest, darkest regions of – what? Where?_

_It was there; she knew It was…_

_And It was not quite aware of her though It should have been; that she knew also._

"_You can't have him," she thought to herself. "Even if I must face you myself you will never have him!"_

_There was nothing that could be done in their ethereal forms so she retreated and found Him once more. She hovered above the form, hearing the glow calling for her once more._

"_No…" she said firmly. _

_It was a battle of wills now, but she did not dare contemplate what it could mean to answer that call._

"_No, no, NO!" she screamed as she plunged downwards._

_And then everything went dark once more._

**xxxXXXxxx**

"_Severus… Severus please…"_ Jessica whimpered._ "Please…. No…."_

Snape woke up in a blind panic at hearing her call out for him.

"Jessica?" he asked clearly in shock. He could see her struggling; she was struggling to return to consciousness.

"I don't want…" she cried out in her sleep. "Please… No…!"

"I'm here, Jessica," he whispered in her ear as he held her and then gave her a gentle shake. "Come on, wake up – it's alright…"

Jessica stopped struggling against him and her eyes began to open slowly.

"Severus?"

"Yes," he whispered softly. "It's Severus…"

"I saw…_him_… whatever it is that Tom Riddle is at the moment," Jessica babbled without seeing the look of astonishment on the Potions Master's face, "Dumbledore – I need to see Dumbledore…"

Snape nodded mutely before dressing quickly.

He summoned Dumbledore struggling to understand how Jessica could possibly know the Dark Lord's Muggle name when even the rest of the Death Eater's Inner Circle did not.

**xxxXXXxxx**

Jessica sat up in bed having bathed with Severus' help and sipped a cup of hot tea laced with a healing potion. She looked pale and tired. Considering the usual rich dark honey tone of her skin, her condition was telling.

"I saw…" she began slowly before giving up with a shake of her head.

Dumbledore, who was seated on the only chair in the room, leaned over and placed an aged hand over the one of Jessica's which lay limply by her hip. He had a fair notion of what she had experienced, and the wisdom to know that discussion such things was not a usual matter of course – not even in the wizarding world.

"Take your time, Jessica, and tell us all that you can…"

The young woman nodded slowly and frowned in her tea. "I saw…him… whatever it is that Tom Riddle is at the moment…" she repeated.

Dumbledore looked at her in surprise and then at Severus, who was clearly disturbed by what she had just said yet again in his presence.

"Everything," he said quietly. "Jessica, we need you to tell us everything..."

**xxxXXXxxx**

"Headmaster, I have only ever heard of such things…" Snape said quietly, holding one of Jessica's hands while she slept.

"As classified according the Ministerial definition of the Dark Arts…"

"She knew his name – even I did not know such a thing until informed by yourself!"

"Mmm – indeed she did. Do not concern yourself about that; it is the least of what we need to think about."

Snape took a deep breath. "Even Lucius Malfoy does not know his name… and yet she, a stranger to our world and – all of _that_ – knows more than most!"

"She has undergone a powerful, even transformative and profound spiritual experience. She died, Severus. She was dead and then came back – she _willingly_ came back…"

The Potions Master looked down at the only person who loved him. There was no doubting now what he was to her, but he didn't understand it. For the first time in a long while he gave voice to his concern; his cool logic battling against the tidal wave of emotion deep inside.

Dumbledore rose and crossed over to the door of the room.

"You will need to spend some time together – quality time. And you need to talk Severus. But most of all, _you_ need to listen…with your heart. Is true love such a difficult thing to accept? Don't let everything that either of you have suffered be in vain."

**xxxXXXxxx**

Jessica was released several days later and found herself being escorted by Snape to her new quarters. They were obviously meant to take a path that would allow them the utmost privacy, but took their time, walking slowly. He stopped near the end of a dark corridor and drew her close.

Without speaking a word, Jessica understood that he was sorry. She hugged him back and drank in the familiar and comforting musky scent of him that seemed to be part and parcel of potions-making.

"I missed you," she whispered softly in his ear.

"And I you…" Snape answered before pausing thoughtfully. "Let's not go to dinner…"

"No… let's not…"

**xxxXXXxxx**

Severus and Jessica lay in bed, each feeling safe and comfortable in the afterglow of their lovemaking.

"Do you think you can be happy living with me," he asked hesitantly.

"Can you be happy having me with you?"

Snape could tell by the sound of her voice that Jessica was still afraid he would change his mind about her. He leaned down and gave her a kiss, a kiss that turned passionate yet again.

"I want more than you believe me to," he said coming up briefly for air.

A renegade tear rolled down a cheek as Jessica looked up at him.

"None of that," Severus said gently, but firmly. "No more tears from you about us, ever."

Jessica shook her head in agreement and drew him downards.

"I need you inside me…" she whispered.

"I want to be…I need to be; I need this so much…" came a croak of a reply before Snape gave into both their needs.

**xxxXXXxxx**

Jessica shifted yet again in Severus' arms.

"Harvey – is he alright with the Headmaster?" she croaked. "He must be really confused by all this."

There was a low chuckle.

"I think we have been replaced in his affections…"

"Are you kidding me?"

"The Headmaster spoils him rotten. The few teeth he has will fall out from all the sweets the two of them eat…"

"Good Lord; we will have a little monster on our hands…"

There was an awkward silence.

"Severus?" Jessica asked sitting up. "Harvey wants to come back to me, to us, doesn't he?"

Snape sat up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

"Listen to me, Jessica. He loves us…and I suppose we can be grateful for that. But what he needs – what he needs is complicated by what he is. The Headmaster is uniquely prepared to accommodate those needs."

"I… I know Changelings are special…" Jessica hiccupped as tears began streaming down her face. "But he… he was my baby boy… I'm his Mum…"

Snape pulled her into his arms and held her as she cried heart-breaking jags into his chest.

"I'm sorry; I know you hate it when I cry," she continued as she wept uncontrollably.

"I don't hate it…as such…exactly…" came a hoarse reply as Severus blinked his own moist eyes in frustration.

Damn it _he_ most certainly was _not_ going to cry!

Jessica heard a faint sniff and looked up through her tears to see Severus angrily brush a cheek and then scowl as only he could.

"Nevermind; it's alright…" she said quietly as both turned their heads to the fireplace across from their bed.

Snape didn't answer; but deep down both knew that their life together wouldn't be quite the same without their baby boy Jarvey.

**xxxXXXxxx**

"Miss Newkirk! Madam Pince said…" Hermione said breathlessly as she rushed into the Library the on a Monday afternoon three weeks after Jessica had moved in with Snape.

"Nevermind what she said; I'm doing much better. Just a nasty case of Doxy flu and I had some business to attend to in London…which should quite please you come next term."

"Oh! She made it sound like…"

"Wishful thinking…" Jessica said with a murderous look. "So what can I help you with? Have everything you need for the Herbology essays?"

"How did you know about _that_?"

"Are you kidding me? It's been a virtual stampede all day! I set aside some things I knew you would want – otherwise you would have been up the creek without a paddle…"

Jessica looked up to see Hermione's confused expression – and tried not to take too much delight in it.

"It's a figure of speech – It means you would have been left high and dry…"

"American expressions then… meaning I would have lost out…"

"Yes, Miss Granger…" Jessica said motioning to a hefty stack of books.

"Oooh excellent! I'll take them all!"

"You only really need the top two…"

"But there will be all sorts of footnotes and…"

"Never you mind; I've already out signed the top five for you. Send Harry and Ron to me – the rest are for them."

"You know us too well," Hermione said with a delighted grin.

"Mmm don't I just…" Jessica replied with a wink before returning her attention to her the mound of paperwork and new intakes Pince couldn't be bothered with in her absence.

"Oh," Hermione said turning and circling back. "Professor Snape led the Library Club while you were ill…"

"Did he? Well, I will have to thank him for his kindness."

Hermione gave the Administrator a funny look that Jessica did not miss.

"It was very good of him, Hermione. It's good to know that what I have done can carry on even in my absence. I'd hate to see things fall apart just because I am not here…"

"Oh, I didn't mean anything by it…"

"But…?"

"Well… erm…"

"Ah…you are surprised that I would say something nice about him even though we both have very different ways of doing things and because of how everyone else tends to treat and think of him?"

"Something like that…" Hermione said through a cough.

"My grandmother always said to never judge a book by its cover, Hermione. I'm not going to hate the man because everyone else does. The rest don't have to like him – but they can at least show him some respect. Now go on… send Harry and Ron to me…"

**xxxXXXxxx**

"Did you really mean that," Severus asked as he and Jessica enjoyed a quiet break in her office. It helped to relieve the monotony that rainy days could sometimes be when one had to work. They had gone to visit Harvey at the Headmaster's. Both had been left devastated by the reality that the little Jarvey Changeling seemed to be getting on fine without them; but wisely decided to refocus their energy into their relationship and the life they were building together.

"What you said to Miss Granger…" he continued hesitantly.

Jessica looked up from the tea she'd asked the house-elves for. She stood and then took a few steps, depositing herself in Snape's lap.

"You act like you never had a woman in you lap before," she teased, taking delight in the bemused look on his face.

"The gentler sex has never been so inclined…"

"I hope the stronger sex hasn't been so inclined either…"

Snape chuckled and put an arm around Jessica's back and looked up at her.

"I meant what I said Severus; I didn't say that for your benefit… I love you."

The Potions Master looked surprised; and then Jessica had a glimpse of the man he might have been had so many things been different for him.

He smiled; a big warm smile that lit up the dreary darkness of the room as he turned slightly red.

"I love you, Severus Snape. I loved you before I met you…"

Snape looked up at her again, but before Jessica could say more he place a finger over her lips.

"We won't speak of _that _now. Not now…"

Jessica nodded and Severus lifted her ever so slightly and then motioned for her to straddle him.

"About thanking me…"

"The door…" she whispered as she unbuttoned the pants he was wearing. He had made adjustments to his wardrobe in the past couple of weeks due to weight gain and she could see more than a bit of the cinematic Snape in his choice of garments. She wasn't going to complain; she liked the way he was filling out – she liked it a lot.

There was the faint sound of clicking and then Snape whispered, "Not yet… just sit…"

Jessica stopped fussing with his buttons and did as he asked. Severus unsnapped her jeans and she took them off after kicking off the ballet slipper-style shoes she was wearing. She had on a big white man's shirt – one of his though no one would have realised it. He took her long hair down from its braid, admiring the sheen of its waves and the silky heaviness of it as it framed her oval face.

Severus pulled her onto him so that she straddled him once more. They began to move against each other and she could feel how much he wanted her.

"A friend back home told me something once…" she said softly as he unbuttoned her shirt and popped a breast out of her bra.

"Oh – and what sage wisdom did she impart?" he replied quietly before running his tongue around her nipple and then taking it into his mouth.

"_He_…" Jessica moaned. "He said that the biggest compliment a man could give a woman was to be aroused by her…"

"Mmmm," Severus moaned as if he at least agreed. He slumped forward, raising his hips and repositioning the ever-increasing bulge between his legs so that she could ride it.

Jessica began to undo the black cravat he was wearing and then tossed it on the floor before making short work of his own white shirt. She leaned in and it was her turn to suckle him as her tongue flitted over the engorged pinkness that was his nipples.

"Jesus…" he moaned as her hands moved to the buttons on his pants once more. Once free of his trousers and the rest of their clothes, both moved backwards across the room through a kiss onto the sofa in a corner.

**xxxXXXxxx**

Severus had just entered her and began to thrust deeply, when Jessica whispered guiltily in his ear. "I didn't… I haven't had my potion this morning…"

"But you have taken them regularly, no?" the Potions Master moaned without stopping or breaking his rhythm.

"Mmm hmm…" Jessica moaned. She felt him grow in size inside her and pulled him in deeper. "Oh God, don't stop…"

The train of thought about having unprotected sex was lost as they spent the rainy afternoon making love in her office.

* * *

Thanks so much to everyone for reading and the kind feedback. It lifts my spirit it really does!

Ange – you take as much space as you need LOL! And when am I going to get MY updates hmm!

Alge – glad you are still with me here!

Tessa – well I might take just a little bit longer to make it clear who did what wink; and yes I am having a lot of fun with this one – but am trying not to get too crazy (well no more than usual I guess LOL!)

Sailor – Glad you like it and great to hear from you!

Sasha – miss hearing from you but am waiting for my updates from you too!


	15. Thy Will Be Done

**Plot, new characters, new magical terms and abilities etc. are my intellectual property. If you want to borrow then please kindly ask. JK Rowling's characters and Wizarding Universe are all uniquely hers.**

**Summary: AU: What if everything we ever read in JK Rowling's books was real – including the people characterised? What would you do if you found yourself caught up in that reality knowing what was to come? SS, RL, OC **

**_Authors Note:_ _It has been mentioned in the story but now I am noting it here. I am a fan of Diana Gabaldon's 'Outlander'/'Cross Stitch' series and definitely was influenced by that in writing this story – i.e. the Standing Stones and traveling through time. But I also love Philip Pullman's 'His Dark Materials' series and the tv programme 'Sliders' and the alternate universes alongside ours idea comes from there no doubt._**

**Fantasy/Drama**

**This story is rated R/M.**

**ENIGMA**

**Chapter 015: Thy Will Be Done**

The next several weeks were stressful as Hogwarts was consumed by mid-term exams. Jessica was more preoccupied with her own affairs than usual and so quite forgot about her werewolf friend who sorely missed her company. She could not have anticipated that against his better judgment, Remus went calling at her old quarters. It took several nights of knocking and then calling out to her through the door before he realised that she had to have been moved.

"_Something else I suppose you aren't at liberty to speak to me about," _he said quietly under his breath as he stared at the door leading to her old quarters for the last time.

**xxxXXXxxx**

Severus went to the Library one afternoon just after exams had finished. He opened the door to Jessica's office silently and faint sounds of retching reached his ears. He slowly pushed open the door to her bathroom and found Jessica sitting on the floor with her head in the toilet bowl.

"Are you alright?" he asked he swooped in and stood over her.

The only answer was another splurge into the toilet. Snape reached over for a face cloth and wet it with cold water. He knelt down next to her, and held the cloth against Jessica's forehead as she continued to be sick.

She tried to speak but couldn't catch her breath. Tears rolled down her cheeks. She was so frightened; never in a million years could she have dreamt this would be happening to her. How could she tell him? How could she tell Severus she was having his baby?

The retching abated for a moment and Jessica continued to just sit and cry.

"I'm sorry, Severus! I am so, so sorry!" she blurted out.

"You have nothing to be sorry for. I want our baby, Jessica," Snape said softly turning her face to his. He'd had a hunch for a just over a week. He saw the signs for what they were. After all, he'd gone through this once before. The difference between now and then was that he loved the woman carrying his child.

"I'm not like her! It wasn't on purpose!"

"I know it wasn't. Neither one of us has bothered with our Potions. I am just as much responsible as you are."

"The last thing you need is…"

"The only thing I need is you…and our child."

Jessica looked at him warily. Her face was bright red and she was clearly not well.

"I'll do whatever you want," she cried out as her eyes brimmed with tears.

Snape took her into his arms.

"I want our baby, Jessica…"

"But V…Vold… the Dark Lord…"

Severus' countenance was almost mask-like and his black eyes glittered strangely.

"Do not concern yourself with him, my love. It does one no good to dwell on such things." He replied before taking a deep breath. "The Headmaster will see us through…he owes me that at least."

Jessica held back a tearful laugh and instead snorted.

"Just like he did with the Longbottoms and James and Lily Potter eh!"

"Those were different times," Snape said darkly. "And entirely different circumstances! I am nobody's fool – I am certainly not James Potter!"

Jessica said nothing and turned away from him.

"Do you want our child, Jessica?" Severus asked tensely. God in heaven, it certainly didn't seem like she did!

"M…more than anything," Jessica answered before breaking down in tears. "Severus, I want our baby so much but I am so bloody _scared_!"

Snape let out a breath he didn't know he was holding and took her into his arms tightly. He and Jessica sat in each other's arms on the bathroom floor, digesting the undeniable fact that they were going to be parents.

And Remus left Jessica's office as silently as he'd entered it; ignoring the sound of Severus Snape murmuring words of comfort to the woman _he_ loved.

**xxxXXXxxx**

Several days later, Severus and Jessica went to see the Headmaster. True to form, there was no easy way of gauging exactly what Dumbledore made of the situation.

"I suppose congratulations are in order," he said peering at the two of them over his spectacles as was his way.

"Any more support and I might pass out from shock," Jessica said sarcastically.

"_Jessica…"_ Snape said in a low hiss.

"No, Severus! Headmaster you know what is at stake here! You know everything, EVERYTHING! Severus doesn't! Now he seems to have a lot of faith that you can keep me and the baby safe – but he doesn't KNOW and you didn't see fit to tell him!"

"Neither did you, Jessica." Dumbledore said gravely.

"Tell me? Tell me _what_?" Snape said darkly as a vein pulsed by his temples.

"It's time you heard it all, Severus," Jessica said quietly. "Whatever you want after – I won't argue against it. But I tried… I did try to tell you several times – but you… you just didn't want to know… I don't know what the right thing to do is anymore. I don't know anything anymore…"

Just then Lupin came into the office. "Albus, I was wondering if I could have a word about…_oh_…"

His voice trailed off at seeing Dumbledore, Snape and Jessica together. Jessica looked on the verge of tears and Snape looked murderous.

"I'm afraid whatever it is will have to wait," the Headmaster replied evenly, hiding just how sorry he felt for his dear friend.

"Mmm – yes it will; forgive the interruption," Lupin said softly before taking his leave and closing the door behind him.

"Again I put it to you – what is it that I have not been told by either of you!" Snape said tersely.

"Severus, please don't be like this!"

"I have no idea what you are talking about Miss Newkirk!"

Jessica snapped her head back as if she'd been slapped.

"Jessica don't leave!" Dumbledore pleaded. "He will need you to…"

"If he even gives a shit after YOU tell him then he can bloody well find me!" she snapped.

A few quick strides and she was gone.

"Damn it!" Snape thundered.

"We all make mistakes, Severus. But once you hear what Jessica has been struggling with perhaps you can find it in yourself to consider her needs rather than any imagined slight against you or non-existent betrayal of trust."

Dumbledore tapped a tray on his desk and two small shot glasses of Ogden's Firewhiskey appeared.

"_Jessica came to us knowing what we are and who we are…" _he began.

**xxxXXXxxx**

Jessica left the Headmaster's office and once near the Great Hall, didn't know what to do. She didn't want to go to hers and Severus' quarters, that much she knew.

She went outside and walked in the grounds skirting the Forbidden Forest.

"Jessica? Everything alright?" came a familiar voice breaking her reverie.

"Oh – Remus… Hi…"

"I feel about as welcome as a Dementor…"

"Sorry…" Jessica murmured as she took a seat on a nearby bench.

"I haven't seen you a good while, everything alright?"

"Peachy Keen, Jellybean…"

"I'll take that as a 'yes' – even though you don't look particularly alright." Lupin replied as he sat down next to her.

"I'm just tired, OK?" Jessica said rising and then starting to walk away. "Tired of so many bloody secrets! Tired of this whole fucking situation! I'm just sick and tired period!"

Hands grabbed her from behind and Lupin turned her around to face him.

Jessica's face crumpled and she burst into tears.

"I know, Jessica," he murmured as he held her in his arms. He was finally getting what he'd wanted in a way. And now that the moment was here the reality of it did not quite match his idealised notion of what he'd assumed it would be like. Then again, knowing she was expecting Snape's baby coloured things considerably.

Jessica stepped back and brushed her cheeks angrily.

"You know what?" she hissed.

"You're pregnant. And Severus is the father. I stopped by your office a few days ago and…"

"So you had to play spy was that it?"

"It was nothing like that and it could have been anyone – just consider yourself fortunate that it was me."

"Right! I will take that under advisement shall I?" she huffed before walking off.

"Wait! Where are you going!"

"I AM SICK OF THIS! I AM SICK OF ALL OF YOU!"

Jessica started running, and rather than chase after her Lupin did the only thing that made sense. He needed to have a word with Snape and Dumbledore.

**xxxXXXxxx**

Jessica found herself walking fast and not paying much heed to the time. She arrived in Hogsmeade and headed straight for the Three Broomsticks. She'd gone in on occasion with Remus and had gotten to know Rosmerta. She still couldn't help but feel bad that the publican had her memory of their true first meeting altered. McGonagall hadn't thought it necessary – but Dumbledore's word was law.

"Hello, Jess! What brings you in here eh?" Rosmerta beamed, clearly grateful for her company.

"Oh – just overworked I suppose…"

The publican gave her an appraising look.

"Mmphm – overwork is it? Here…have a nice hot chocolate on the house."

"Oh I couldn't…"

"Sure you can. Everyone needs friends, Jessica; and you've got one here…"

"Thanks," Jessica croaked as tears began streaming down her face. She looked like she was ready to open up, but then thought better of it. Just then a voice interrupted from a private salon upstairs.

"Won't be two ticks, aye?" Rosmerta said patting her hand.

Jessica nodded; and as soon as the publican had disappeared from view she left quietly and headed beyond the Stones.

**xxxXXXxxx**

Lupin entered the Headmaster's office and found Snape sitting tensely staring out a window across the grounds.

"Remus – have you by any chance seen Jessica?" Dumbledore asked.

"That's why I'm here. Everything seems to be piling up on her and she is very upset. I don't think she can handle the stress she has to live with."

There was a snort from the nearest window. "Surely you have other things to do than mind people's affairs for them, Loo-penn…" Snape snarled.

"As you are responsible for the state she's in Severus, surely you should consider whatever insight I have to offer."

"As I am…just who do you…!"

"GENTLEMEN!" Dumbledore thundered. "This is not doing anyone any good – particularly Jessica! Now, Remus – where is she?"

"I'm afraid she went outside the grounds…into Hogsmeade at the very least."

"Hogsmeade!" Snape roared as he noted that the sun was now setting low on the horizon. He stood up fast and started fast for the door.

"Severus there is nothing you can do for her," Lupin reasoned. "You won't stand a chance against the Dementors!"

"_I am not going to sit here while…"_

"While what? What is she to you anyway?"

Snape stepped back and looked at the werewolf warily. And then laughed.

"So – I was right. All along, all this time; I was right!"

"About what?" Lupin asked with a voice of steel.

"You're in love with her; you have been after her for months!"

"I don't know what you're on about. Jessica has never given me the time of day – certainly not as she has done with you. Don't try and deny that she's pregnant; I know enough to know that."

Snape looked at Dumbledore and then back at Lupin.

"If anything happens to her it's your fault, Loo-penn!"

"If you want to cast blame, take a good look in the mirror Severus. This is nothing to do with me and everything to do with you. Of all people…"

"Tearing at each other's throats won't do you any good," the Headmaster intoned wisely. "With any luck she's gone to Rosmerta's."

"Rosmerta won't let her out; she'd be safe," Lupin said thinking out loud.

"Except that Jessica will not open her heart to a woman she knows you sanctioned a memory adjustment on," Snape said tersely to the Headmaster. "If she even went there, she will not have remained. She needs some semblance of comfort…and there is only one place she would go; though the peace from it will be scant at this moment in time."

Both Dumbledore and Lupin looked at him in amazement.

"There is nothing anyone can do for her; no one except me!" Snape said bellowed as he blinked his eyes and then stormed from the room.

"Albus, it's suicide for him to…"

"Remus, he is a man in love and he loves Jessica dearly. She is carrying his child and if I were in his place I would act no differently. I would face the Muggle Devil himself for the sake of those I care about."

Lupin looked down at his old patched-up threadbare clothes and taped-up shoes.

"You never gave her a chance, Remus. For every encouragement offered to you; you found reasons to talk yourself out of pursuing happiness."

"I have nothing to offer her! I'm poor; I'm dangerous…"

"What you are is deserving of happiness. It doesn't have to be your destiny that you end up alone…"

"Hmmph – spoken like an old wise sage…"

"The sage is Jessica; and as it happens I agree with her… Do not resent her for her happiness with Severus when it was you who decided that it would not do to pursue a relationship with her. It's not you who went after her though you could have; it's Severus. Love, _real_ love compels his actions."

"Severus Snape… of all people…"

"If the opportunity for love should come your way again, Remus," Dumbledore said carefully as he thought of certain things discussed with Jessica, "remember what your stubbornness has cost you. Anything and anyone worth loving or having is definitely worth fighting for."

**xxxXXXxxx**

Severus could feel the cold rolling in – and that cold could only mean one thing: Dementors. They would be swarming all over every inch of ground from the gates of Hogwarts to beyond the Stones. He had to reach Jessica sooner rather than later. Getting to her would take a heavy dose of luck. Disapparation presented unique problems and with the Dementors – one false move and he could find himself Apparating in a swarm of them.

As it was he couldn't go out of any of the entrances to the school; there was no choice but to make it across the grounds and into the Forbidden Forest. He would have to take his chances that way. The Dementors were hungry, and very angry at not being able to feed. The Ministry of Magic did not care – their concern was nailing Sirius Black one way or the other and they were of the firm opinion that Harry Potter was still in danger.

The Potions Master put all thoughts of his biggest irritant to the side and focused on the task at hand. He'd managed to survive all those years as a servant of the Dark Lords and then a traitor turned spy. He would survive this – and so would the woman he wanted to take as his wife and their unborn child.

**xxxXXXxxx**

Snape had just made it into the Forbidden Forest when he Disapparated with a loud CRACK! A moment later and he found himself standing on the other side of the hill down from the Stones. A careful look back and Hogwarts loomed in the distance.

"A path…what was that she told me about a dirt path…" he muttered under his breath looking in front of him and then off to one side. He didn't dare use his wand to light the way.

His eyes adjusted to the darkness and he used the bit of moonshine on the landscape to get his bearings.

"Yes!" he cried under his breath as he spotted it.

Quickly and quietly he moved forward.

**xxxXXXxxx**

Jessica had sat on the old stone wall that was in need of repair. It was just like everything else about the house she knew to be her own in her time; in her world.

"Ange…" she croaked under her breath. "What I wouldn't give to be able to talk to you…"

She decided to have a bit of a walk around the front. She hadn't really taken a good enough look at the place before – but so much time had passed and so much had happened. It would do her good to stretch her legs – she always did think better on her feet; just like Severus.

Jessica shook her head willing herself not to cry any more than she had done already. She missed Severus and she missed Harvey. Truth be told; they were both so damn reckless because they missed their little Jarvey. And though they both dearly wanted their baby; Jessica couldn't help but to think that at the moment it was for the wrong reasons as much as the right ones.

She walked around the front of the building – and immediately regretted it. It looked even worse. This was causing her nothing but pain at the moment. The other place she did her best thinking in was the bath – and the way her body ached she could sure do with one. She had turned around when she first felt it.

Unbelievable cold coming towards her.

"What the…" her voice trailed off as the realisation struck her. She looked up and saw them first as dots amongst the clouds and against the moon.

"No! No! NO!" she shouted.

"JESSICA – IS THAT YOU?"

"SEV… SEVERUS!"

Jessica ran around the back and spotted Snape making his way towards the back wall.

She waved her arms at him and he came flying towards her.

"INTO THE HOUSE! QUICKLY!"

Jessica ran to the back door and tried to open it. She shook her head frantically.

"Move back!" Snape called as he aimed his wand and kept running. There was a burst of black light and the door flew open.

He reached her and pulled her inside, warding the door after them.

"The swarms have already overrun Hogsmeade," he said looking outside through a threadbare curtain.

The Dementors were beginning to touch down.

"In my world…the house had a cellar," Jessica said trying not to panic. "There was a panel in the wall in the hallway – you just had to know where to look…"

She took Severus' hand and made her way down the hallway. Instead of being on the left as she recalled, it was on the right.

"We just need a little light," he said. "We'll have to chance it…LUMOS!"

Jessica looked on the right side of the hallway where the panel had been. And then thought better of it and looked on her left.

"Here!" she said pushing forwards.

Sure enough the panel went inwards revealing a set of stairs.

She and Severus made their way down quickly and sealed the door behind them. The cold was getting unbearable now. Jessica noted that the cellar ran the length of the cottage and they picked their way to the front. There was a stone wall – and Snape guessed that there was a room of some sort behind it. He knocked along it and then pushed. There was a room that had been used for storage and they made their way in, sealing the wall behind them.

"We will have to wait it out until morning," Severus said quietly. "Over here – this seems to be coal storage. It's dirty – but offers the best concealment."

He looked around. There were dark bolts of fabric that had seen better days amongst other things but they would do for warmth. He grabbed them while Jessica grabbed some others that were in a labeled box and they went into the coal storage cupboard, closing and sealing the door behind them. It blended in seamlessly with the wall.

The Potions Master glanced outside and could see Dementors making their way down the path in the moonlight. The light – they had to have sensed the light. Not wanting to alarm Jessica any further he spoke calmly, but quietly.

"In; then we put the fabric around ourselves and then pile the coal around us. Coal is useless to them in any fashion so they won't bother with it."

Severus quietly used his wand to move the coal around so they could sit comfortably in the middle of the cupboard. He helped her to sit down and then sat next to her. Several flicks of his wand and there was a mountain of coal between them and the door, but at least they could breath. There was a tiny window at the top where the coal would have been delivered. It was caked with dirt and grime, but was partially opened. They would hear the Dementors before they saw them – if they were unfortunate enough to see anything other than what passed outside the window.

"I'm sorry Severus," Jessica said quietly as he held her.

"So am I. But don't concern yourself with anything but the matter at hand. Empty yourself of all thoughts and emotions – it draws them to you."

Jessica nodded. She felt a prodding at her hip and reached down to make an adjustment carefully.

"The wand…" she whispered to Severus before nestling in his arms again.

"Just try to sleep," he whispered before kissing her forehead.

But both knew the last thing either of them would dare to do would be sleep.

The vigil to save their lives and the life of their unborn child had begun.


	16. The Gauntlet

**Plot, new characters, new magical terms and abilities etc. are my intellectual property. If you want to borrow then please kindly ask. JK Rowling's characters and Wizarding Universe are all uniquely hers.**

**Summary: AU: What if everything we ever read in JK Rowling's books was real – including the people characterised? What would you do if you found yourself caught up in that reality knowing what was to come? SS, RL, OC **

**_Authors Note:_ _It has been mentioned in the story but now I am noting it here. I am a fan of Diana Gabaldon's 'Outlander'/'Cross Stitch' series and definitely was influenced by that in writing this story – i.e. the Standing Stones and traveling through time. But I also love Philip Pullman's 'His Dark Materials' series and the tv programme 'Sliders' and the alternate universes alongside ours idea comes from there no doubt._**

**Fantasy/Drama**

**This story is rated R/M.**

**ENIGMA**

**Chapter 016: The Gauntlet**

A glowing fog had rolled in heralding the arrival of the Dementors, bringing with it a sinister cold and damp unlike anything Jessica had ever felt in her life. It wrapped itself around her and Severus from the inside out, threatening to choke the life out of them. Jessica tucked her head under his chin and kept her eyes closed at first, willing herself to be still and think of nothing as she sat in his arms. She would not think of the rats or cockroaches that scuttled in the darkness, soot and coal. She would do as she knew she must and think of nothing.

There was the faintest intake of breath from her beloved and Jessica opened her eyes. The glow was seeping through the coal that shielded them from what lay on the other side of the door: the Dementors. Severus was wound tighter than a spinning top, ready to spring into action if needed.

Jessica slowly craned her head upwards and withheld a gasp.

The window was open and a slimy, decayed arm and hand was reaching down, feeling around in the space above their heads. Jessica's attention was drawn once again in front of her as coal stones began falling. There was grating noise she hadn't noticed before; the Dementors on the other side were feeling along the wall for hidden openings. Severus tensed even more and Jessica along with him. Her stomach began to churn and she willed herself to calm down – but to no avail. It was everything she could do not to wet herself let alone vomit. There was a horrid noise that sent shivers up her spine and she realised it was from the Dementor at the window. It was making a sort of sucking sound in anticipation of feeding on any wizards unfortunate to be about.

Jessica began to shake in Severus' arms and he gripped her tightly. That she calmed was only down to his will. As for the Potions Master, he was resolved in this moment that if they made it out of this unholy nightmare alive and well Jessica would have to be told what had been on his mind that fateful day when he had come to her with the little Jarvey.

_xxxooxxx xxxooxxx xxxooxxx_

"_Have you any idea how it is that she managed to come through the stones, Albus?" Lupin asked._

"_Not with any certainty," Dumbledore said wearily. "This concerns me greatly; the timing of it all…"_

"_What do you mean, Dumbledore?" McGonagall asked with a penetrating look. "Are you suggesting that she **does **have ties to…You Know Who?"_

"_It is highly unlikely," the Headmaster answered hesitantly._

"_You do not sound as though you are certain, Headmaster…" Snape said smoothly. "I will point out that in all my years of service to the Dark Lord, not once did I ever hear of any matter relating to the Stones at Loch Looemond. He never set stock in what he classed as 'fairy stories'. And I can assure you that if the Dark Lord had so much as an inkling of their power, he would have stopped at nothing to harness it for himself."_

"_Miss Newkirk presents a wealth of enticing possibilities," Dumbledore replied thoughfully after nodding in agreement. "She managed to pass through the Stones into our world relatively unharmed save for the encounter that led her here. If she passed through once…"_

"…_she may be able to pass through again…" Lupin finished._

"…_or perhaps not given what you have told us of those who tried and failed, Dumbledore," said McGonagall._

"_The fact that she survived and is here – such knowledge would be dangerous in the wrong hands…" Dumbledore said._

'…_as much as it is in the right ones,' Snape thought to himself. Dumbledore must thought that all who crossed his path were incredibly thick – well certainly more so than usual._

"_As you have advised against Obliviation, then the best that can be done is to continue with matter at hand and work with Miss Newkirk to ensure a successful transition into her new life," Snape said aloud._

_He then paused dramatically._

"_Severus," Lupin asked looking at his old enemy hesitantly as was McGonagall and Dumbledore._

"_We are making an assumption – too big an assumption," Snape said ignoring the werewolf._

"_And that is?" McGonagall asked peering over her glasses._

"_We are assuming that Miss Newkirk is the only Muggle to have ever made it through the Stones and lived…"_

"_And?" Lupin interrupted._

"_As I was saying," Snape hissed darkly. "We assume that Miss Newkirk is the only Muggle to have ever made it through the Stones and lived… it could be that others have made it, either accidentally or purposely and have assimilated without detection…"_

"_But surely we would be aware of such a thing?" Professor McGonagall asked incredulously._

"_Why would we – if it was the world of **our** Muggles that they assimilated into rather than our own. It would take some doing, to be sure, but it is not impossible. Muggles, in principal, cannot see this world or experience it as we do. It is a fact and as such there is no debating it. However, we have overlooked something very important about Miss Newkirk – her bloodlines."_

_Lupin wiped his eyes; he was getting a headache from all this back and forth. "Can you get to the point, Severus…"_

"_The point is," Snape replied in a sneering tone. "Miss Newkirk is Native American – she is from a culture that embraces magical practice. The Shamanistic practices of her people rival our magic and in some ways surpass it spiritually. The Nanticoke in particular were known and feared for their sorcery. I have read tales of Nanticoke warriors being able to kill a man simply by blowing in his direction…"_

"_A very tall tale…" Lupin said with a smile._

"_A tall tale of **unspoken magic**, perhaps," Snape replied with a fearsome gaze._

_How dare that mangy mutt imply he was a dunderhead!_

"_No – you mean!" McGonagall gasped._

"_We have stated the obvious over and over again without taking on its significance," Snape said idly as he ignored the shocked werewolf and turned his attention to McGonagall. "Native Americans are an ancient race, thought to been in this world since the beginning of time. But history shows us that many tribes would have died out had they not assimilated other cultures and tribes into their fold after being so decimated by the descendants of the Europeans who conquered the New World. The Nanticoke remained on the Eastern shores of America and did not go west during the Migration of Tears. And neither did many Lenni Lenape though they are discounted by the Lenape of the Western States because of it. Many tribes, particularly those of the Eastern seaboard, saw many outside their culture accepted into their tribes as one of their own through the bonds of marriage or adoption into a clan and then the tribal band concerned at large…"_

"_Including Europeans…" McGonagall said slowly as a realisation struck her._

_Snape nodded. "Including recently arrived Europeans since the 18th Century. America would be a different place had the Natives who helped the Europeans not done so – the Nanticoke! And I would be willing to wager that history is more or less the same from Miss Newkirk's point of view."_

"_But what does that have to do with the stones?" Lupin asked as he looked at Dumbledore._

"_It means that Miss Newkirk may have had an ancestor or a few that crossed from this world into her own. I would propose that the Stones are a portal for travel through time itself, just as some of the legends propose. They are older than even our world, and even their origin cannot be determined. Not everyone is capable – why we might never know. But we do know it is a fact that many have died trying," Snape said confidently. "It would go a long way to explain why she survived traveling and how it is that she sees and experiences this world. She is a descendent of one who made it through!"_

"_Even if that were the case, we don't know who. And it doesn't answer who it was that came after her in the first place," Lupin said. "All you are proposing are theories and conjecture, there is very little that is factual evidence."_

"_Ah, yet another one who doesn't believe anything that he cannot read in a book. Nothing ever changes with you, does it? I would propose a Library visit Loo-penn, except you won't find what needs to be looked for."_

"_An interesting hypothesis, Severus," Dumbledore said thoughtfully. "It also suggests that there is no such thing as coincidence."_

"_All things being equal, it is the only hypothesis of merit, Headmaster."_

"_Miss Newkirk perhaps is more aware than she lets on," Lupin interrupted sharply._

"_I do believe Miss Newkirk is completely ignorant of these matters; such things are likely to only be passed from Chief to Chief, Sachem to Sachem," Snape replied. "And the Headmaster and I are both highly skilled Legilimens. He knows as well as I as I just how woefully ignorant she is…"_

"_Or perhaps not," said Lupin. "How do we know for sure that this isn't some long dormant plan of Voldemort's brought to bear?"_

_But before Snape could answer, Dumbledore spoke. "I trust Jessica Newkirk, Remus. I trust her enough not to have done what would have been done with her in Dippet's day and before."_

_Lupin failed to hide his disbelief._

"_The graveyard in the Abbey ruins on the far side of the grounds," Snape said quietly. "The unmarked graves…"_

"_Even that does not escape your notice, Severus," Dumbledore said matter-of-factly with a resigned sigh. "I am sad to say that the unmarked graves are exactly what you believe them to be..."_

"_So there **was** a traveler who came through in Grindewald's time!" McGonagall said through pursed lips. She was clearly cross that all this time such knowledge had been withheld from her. "Headmaster Dippet alluded to it once out of sheer frustration I think… it was during old Codger's time (he was Minister of Magic then); well the old fool called in Codger when it was Albus and myself he should have consulted privately. You know what the Ministry are like; they see with tunnel vision and never in favour of what is just or right…"_

"_And those times being what they were – one was guilty with no chance to be proven otherwise," Dumbledore said calmly. "Even I was woefully ignorant of certain matters until I became Headmaster of this school after Armando. On that day, all secrets pertaining to Hogwarts were now mine to keep. And I have kept them all – until now."_

"_Headmaster, your openness does beg questioning…" Snape ventured cautiously._

_Dumbledore nodded gravely and gestured for him to continue._

"_Is it possible that as a student here in Dippet's day – the Dark Lord found out about these travelers; the ones who made it through?"_

"_While I am most certain that he is familiar with the stories of the Stones," Dumbledore offered, "I am in agreement that he did not take them seriously. Knowing him as I do, Lord Voldemort would have stopped at nothing to harness that power for himself, most definitely."_

"_Well I'll be damned," Lupin said in astonishment._

"_We all will be should the day come that the Dark Lord finds out about Miss Newkirk, Loo-penn!" Snape said darkly._

"_Well only a handful of us even know…"_

"_That remains to be seen," Snape interrupted._

"_What do you mean, Severus?" Lupin intoned exasperatedly._

"_It is fairly obvious why you weren't sorted into Ravenclaw," Snape sniffed. "It is clear enough to me that Miss Newkirk's secret will get out in some fashion or another. This in turn is what puts her life and those of her friends in danger 13 years from now in her world."_

"_Are you saying that one of us betrays her?" Lupin asked incredulously. "More than likely she makes some careless mistake…"_

"_Or one of us does," Snape answered sharply. "Perhaps even thinking we are doing some small thing for the right reason. One way or another, her hand is tipped and to someone who obviously comes to view her as a threat."_

_xxxooxxx xxxooxxx xxxooxxx_

The hand was still swiping downwards above their heads and the Dementors on the other side of the wall and hidden door seemed dangerously close discovering Jessica and Severus in their hiding place. Jessica looked anywhere but up and eventually buried her head in the Potions Master's chest.

There was so much he wanted to say to her and her to him; but now there just wasn't the time.

**xxxXXXxxx**

"Jessica…" Snape whispered softly.

"Nuuuggghhhh…"

"Jessica love, time to wake up…."

Jessica opened her eyes slowly. She wasn't to know just yet but they were bloodshot. She had been crying softly as Severus held her until she fell asleep from exhaustion.

"Severus? The Dementors…"

"I believe they have retreated – we need to take the opportunity and get back to Hogwarts," he said standing.

Snape stretched his legs and adjusted his back a bit before reaching down to help Jessica to her feet. A wave of nausea overcame her and Jessica found herself heaving in a corner.

"I'm sorry," she croaked as tears streamed down her face once more.

The Potions Master said nothing and pulled her into his arms.

"Come," he said after it seemed she was done with her morning sickness for the moment. "Stay in back of me but be prepared to run if necessary. You will run like hell for Rosmerta's and don't come back for me should we have to part – do you understand?"

"No! I can't leave you!"

"Don't argue with me! You will do as you are told! I stand a chance against them – you don't!"

Jessica nodded tearfully.

"I love you, Jessica. I have never been able to say that to anyone; But I have never loved anyone as I do you…"

For the briefest of moments, a faint look of irony played across her face…irony and then pure joy. And it warmed Severus' heart to see that he had made her happy even in the midst of so much fear and uncertainty.

He kissed her gently on the forehead and then a hand before tapping on the door.

**xxxXXXxxx**

They made their way through the cellar and through the ground floor of the house.

"The Dementors have gone, but there is always the chance they will return," Snape said quietly as they greeted the dawning day outside. It was better to take their chances in the outdoors than to be corned like vermin in the cellar.

"Can't we Disapparate?" Jessica asked as they began to walk fast through a thicket of trees rather than along the trail leading towards the Stones.

"No – the baby… Otherwise we could have when I found you – as risky as that was with them swarming over every inch of land between the castle gates and here."

"Oh…" Jessica said, hanging her head down. This was all her fault and she didn't deserve Severus' forgiveness or understanding.

Snape squeezed her hand. "We'll be alright," he said quietly. He still blamed Lupin for not stopping her, but that was not something he would discuss with her any time too soon.

Another wave of nausea overcame her and Jessica leaned into a bush to be sick. Dammit, what she wouldn't give for the two of them to be at home, safe and sound in their own bed. Once the dizziness had passed they were on the move again. Severus thought it was better to conserve their energy and so they walked briskly rather than run all the way.

They finally neared the outskirts of Hogsmeade as the sun rose higher in the sky. Severus let out a sigh of relief as they strolled onto the High Street, with the Three Broomsticks in view.

"The Dementors are not particularly enamored of bright light and so retreat from Hogsmeade during the day – hence their patrols from dusk to dawn. But we still have to get from Hogsmeade to Hogwarts. They are still on duty and that is a danger to us. I think it's best to stop as Rosmerta's and send word to the Headmaster…"

There was nothing but silence and Snape turned to his right as his voice trailed off. He realised with a start that Jessica wasn't next to him walking slightly in back trying to keep up. He turned around to see two Dementors with Jessica sandwiched between them. One had her in its grip and she had lost the power of speech, so overwhelmed was she by horrific memories from her past. The other had pulled back its hood and began to suck feverishly as it attempted to clamp onto her face. Jessica's face revealed the true horror of being a victim of the infamous Dementor's Kiss – the Dementor would clamp whatever it was that it had in lieu of a proper mouth over hers and suck her soul out, leaving her with no consciousness of herself whatsoever. She would be worse than dead.

"**EXPECTO PATRONUM!" **Snape roared as he charged towards them.

The air began to hum and his wand vibrated as his Patronus shot forward and drove them from her. It had been a long time since the Potions Master had had to use the Patronus Charm, but he was grateful for the foolish wand-waving and silly incantation nonetheless.

"Oh my God!" came a strangled cry behind him. Having heard his bellowing cry, several denizens of Hogsmeade poked their heads outside, including Rosmerta.

Snape bore down on Jessica and scooped her in his arms.

A man came charging out of an alleyway and Snape murmured something to him Rosmerta didn't hear. But she recognised him as the bartender from the Hogs Head Pub – and was heartened to know that Dumbledore would soon be on his way.

**xxxXXXxxx**

"I warned you, Headmaster," Snape spat furiously as he tended to Jessica who was unconscious. "I warned you that something like this was bound to happen!"

They were in one of the private suites Rosmerta let out. The Three Broomsticks was an Inn as well as a pub.

"Severus my hands are tied," Dumbledore answered shortly. "I can't make Minister Fudge see sense! The Dementors do not belong at Azkaban any more than they do here and for the moment we are still forced to endure their presence amongst us."

"Two of them fighting over her!" McGonagall snapped. "IT'S OUTRAGEOUS!"

Snape craned his head slowly – and then shook it mutely.

"Severus?" Dumbledore asked, feeling quite uneasy.

"The Dementors – they **were** fighting over her! It's started, Headmaster – somehow, some way – it's started! I know it has!"

McGonagall held her hands up to her face in horror. "But how? How can that be?" she cried.

"Tom may have been more aware of her presence when she crossed over than we originally believed," Dumbledore replied hollowly.

* * *

Sasha – You should have an email from me – but my yahoo has been on the fritz moan I am aching to see what Miss Noelle is up to now – if she hurts my Severus one more time LOL!

Alge – It will be getting even more interesting for you I hope

Leah P – welcome aboard and great to hear from you! High compliments indeed and I thank you very much!

Sailor – we haven't heard or seen the last of the Jarvey evil grin

Ange, Tessa – hope you ladies are still with me here!


	17. Just Let The Sun

**Plot, new characters, new magical terms and abilities etc. are my intellectual property. If you want to borrow then please kindly ask. JK Rowling's characters and Wizarding Universe are all uniquely hers.**

**Summary: AU: What if everything we ever read in JK Rowling's books was real – including the people characterised? What would you do if you found yourself caught up in that reality knowing what was to come? SS, RL, OC **

**_Authors Note:_ _It has been mentioned in the story but now I am noting it here. I am a fan of Diana Gabaldon's 'Outlander'/'Cross Stitch' series and definitely was influenced by that in writing this story – i.e. the Standing Stones and traveling through time. But I also love Philip Pullman's 'His Dark Materials' series and the tv programme 'Sliders' and the alternate universes alongside ours idea comes from there no doubt._**

**Fantasy/Drama**

**This story is rated R/M.**

**ENIGMA**

**Chapter 017: Just Let The Sun**

Dumbledore sat in his office lost in thought, trying to convince himself that he'd done the right thing in not revealing all that Jessica had told him to Snape. Still, he wondered if she really had told him _absolutely everything_. It did not matter really; if he were in her shoes he would probably exercise great restraint himself. Everyone needed to be free to act as they saw fit whatever the situation. There was nothing to say for sure that all of the events that Jessica knew of from her world would come to pass as she might expect in this one.

The Headmaster's mind turned once again to his Potions Master. He trusted Severus Snape, he trusted him implicitly. He relied on Snape in a way that just was not possible with anyone else. They were not bosom buddies or even the best of friends; they never had been and never would be – there was a line Severus would not cross with him. He always remained distant, quite formal even when the situation did not warrant it. But trust was there nonetheless.

For all that Dumbledore knew about Snape there were bound to be some things he did not know. But one thing he was most certain of – Snape's loyalties and where they truly lay. He leaned back in his chair and touched his fingers together repeatedly in a steeple-like motion as he turned it over and over in his mind.

Dumbledore's eyes wandered over towards the window which faced the direction of the Astronomy Tower. No, he had done the right thing in withholding certain facts, he thought to himself. He knew Severus well enough to know that he would see no point in having yet another discussion with Jessica over things they had no control over. The same could be said for Jessica. She had resigned herself to her predicament and was doing her best to come to terms with her new life although the situation with the Dementors seemed to have taken some of the sparkle from her for the moment. It had affected all who witnessed it and even Snape was not as unscathed by the experience as some might have thought.

The aged wizard let out a weary sigh and looked over at the perch where his Phoenix lay peacefully. "At least they have each other," he said softly as his mind wandered to a time in his own youthful bloom that had seemed fragrant with possibility.

"Funny how the young always seem to think they have cornered the market on time…".

**xxxXXXxxx**

There was the pounding pitter-patter of hard rain and then the gentle click of a window being closed. A whooshing sound echoed as the curtains were adjusted slightly to let in the faint light of the overcast day outside. Jessica opened her eyes and continued to lay quietly on her side as she looked over at the man she still knew very little about. She knew no more now about Severus Snape and his true loyalty than when she'd first stumbled into the wizarding world. A man that many despised and less than a handful even tolerated, truth be told.

And she was having his child.

Now he knew the truth; her truth, the missing piece of the puzzle that Lupin was frustrated to not be trusted with – or so she thought. It did not matter as such. It was too late to question how good or evil, how dark or light Hogwarts' current Potions Master really was. She'd done the one thing she had promised herself she wouldn't do ever again before her fateful move to Scotland: she'd fallen in love – truly, madly, deeply and utterly hopelessly in love – with no regrets.

In the days and weeks after the horror of the Dementors, Severus had tended to her every need. Though Jessica had physically recovered from her ordeal, emotionally she had not. The one who healed him was now wounded, and it frustrated him to no end that there was little he could do to repair the damage. The Potions Master had wanted the two of them to go away for a holiday so that Jessica could have a much-needed break in aid of her recovery. Dumbledore was apologetic and sympathetic to a degree, but Severus' presence was sorely needed. Only he could make the Wolfsbane Potion for Lupin and there was the still not-so-small matter of Sirius Black and The Boy Who Lived.

And if that weren't enough the incident Jessica remembered all too well from Book Three, _Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban_, was definitely upon them. Draco Malfoy had been injured by the Hippogriff Buckbeak in Hagrid's Care of Magical Creatures class. Jessica would never forget it – she was there to witness it and still could not stop the arrogant and spoiled young Slytherin from disrespecting the creature and bringing about his own injury. Severus had told her himself that Lucius Malfoy filed a complaint with the Ministry of Magic and specifically requested that the animal be destroyed – and the Ministry was on the verge of making a decision from what she'd heard from Hagrid. That meant that the fateful night she feared above all others was drawing near: the truth of what happened to the Potters would be revealed when the real betrayer, Peter Pettigrew, escaped to rejoin Lord Voldemort.

She looked at Severus, angled sharply in the dreary light which made it seem more like late afternoon than morning. There was faint silvery scarring on his back and onetime youthful leanness was giving over to the thickness of his decided middle age. Still, his stomach was flat even with the broadening of his body.

She sighed faintly still not quite believing her reality, startling Severus and causing him to turn around from the window where he had stood brooding. In a few quick strides he was seated on the bed at her side. Jessica reached a hand down and rubbed her belly. She was showing now, but thanks to her love of oversized clothes no one was any the wiser, particularly given the fact that she was naturally curvaceous (a polite way of putting it) anyway. Her morning sickness was gone only to have been replaced by a ravenous appetite and she had put on at least a stone in weight.

"Shall we go down to breakfast, or would you prefer to stay here?" Severus asked placing a hand over hers as it massaged her belly. "It is the weekend – so we don't really have to go…"

He flinched and then his eyes went wide.

"Your son is quite the gymnast," Jessica said with a faint smile. The baby was kicking and Severus had just had his first taste of it – ever. He'd never experienced this the first time around.

Despite her fragility Jessica glowed with that unmistakable something that expectant mothers have. Some of her colleagues and students were under the impression she was in love. Even Hermione couldn't help but to notice, but Jessica had grown expert at fobbing off the overly-observant and decidedly inquisitive Gryffindor. Still – that didn't put anyone off from wondering who it was that the Administrator had to have a pash on and speculation was rife on the gossip mill. It pained Lupin to hear it to no end (not once did his name ever come up) especially knowing the truth. Jessica knew that she would have to sort things out between them yet again.

Severus leaned in and kissed her.

"Here,"

_Kiss. _

"Or"

_Kiss. _

"The Great Hall…?"

Their tongues battled for dominance and Jessica made it quite clear what she preferred as she pushed nagging thoughts about her lover out of her mind. Her real life Potions Master cared for and about her, and that made a far deeper impression that anything she'd ever read about his fictional counterpart. Being with him, engaging him emotionally and physically provided all that she needed.

Severus gave her a slightly worried look and was clearly engaged in an internal debate of some sort.

"You won't hurt the baby, Severus…"

_Kiss._

"But… wouldn't it know… I mean…"

Jessica's hands flew to her mouth and she burst out laughing. It was the first time since the incident with the Dementors and Severus took it as a sign that she was starting to get back to her old self again. She had been so quiet it had unnerved him and the Headmaster.

"I don't suppose there is such a thing as Sexual and Reproductive Education here?"

Severus scowled – faking it of course, but it was still a very Snape-like display of temperament.

"If you are _that_ worried about traumatising our child then I suppose we will just have to get through the next few months without…." Jessica said vaguely with a wave of her hand.

The Potions Master looked at her in mock horror and then pounced into bed beside her.

"Now don't feel like you have to do anything on my account," Jessica said innocently batting her eyelashes. "I am capable of restraining myself, Professor Snape."

She put on her reading glasses and picked up her copy of _Simple Charms Through the Ages_ and began to read.

"You hate that book," Severus said, taking it from her hands and flinging it across the room, barely missing the fireplace altogether. He took off her glasses and placed them on the bedside table.

"_Quite…"_

Jessica looked at the dull sheen of the threadbare purple curtains drawn back on their four-poster canopied bed, lost in thought.

"What do you believe me to be?" Severus asked quietly as he spooned against her. He and Jessica still had not spoken of his conversations with the Headmaster concerning the secrets of her world she'd brought with her about his and the hypothesis about her bloodlines. It seemed that whenever one or the other of them meant to speak, something always happened to veer them from the intended target.

"The man I love so much that I will do whatever I can to save him by any means necessary; if you can be saved…depending on what is to come," came a hoarse reply.

Jessica took a deep breath and sank back against Severus, welcoming the comfort of his warmth. He inched up her nightgown and began to gently rub her belly and then caress her breasts which were becoming heavy with milk. A leg went up slightly and then he moved inside her from behind.

"I don't think we can prevent what's meant to be, my love," he whispered in her ear as he took his time savouring the warm throbbing wetness now enveloping him. "No matter how much I want to as much as you…"

The woman he loved moved against him.

"I only know what you have been to me, Severus," she whispered fearfully, "and I can't give that up. I don't believe that I'm wrong about you; and I don't give a damn anymore! Nothing matters to me in this godforsaken hellhole that is your world except you!"

There was a strangled cry and Snape eased Jessica onto her back and then moved between her legs.

"Oh, God – what have I done?" he cried out as he collapsed on top of her and buried his face in her hair. "What have I done to you?"

Jessica held onto him tightly, stroking his hair in acknowledgement before moving on top of him.

"I don't care, Severus. I've always followed my heart and paid a high price for it. Why should this be any different? I wasn't completely ignorant…I knew exactly what I was dealing with didn't I?"

Severus felt even worse – if there ever was someone he did not want to hurt it was the woman making love to him. But it was inevitable that he would hurt her and they both knew it. Being as selfish as he was, he still wanted her for as long as he could have her.

"How can you stand it?" he asked reaching a hand up to cup her face. "How do you go on day after day knowing…?"

"If it wasn't for you – I wouldn't have. I can't bear this anymore; you and our baby are the only things that make everything I have gone through worth it."

Severus placed his hands on her hips, signaling he wanted her to stop.

"I am not worth such a noble sacrifice. It is folly for you to sacrifice yourself for my sake. I am damned, Jessica. And if I were half the man I should be I would have never dragged you into this hell of mine!"

"It's what I wanted; It's what I always wanted deep down from the moment I got here. Funny how much greener the grass seems on the other side… especially when I am colouring it…"

Severus looked at her quizzically and Jessica moved to lay in his arms as the sun stubbornly poked through the heavy clouds outside their window, however temporary.

"Might as well come clean about everything…" she said quietly.

"Oh? You mean you withheld information from the Headmaster?"

Jessica shook her head 'yes'.

"I see…" Severus said thoughtfully as he rubbed her belly tenderly.

"It's …it's all rather embarrassing…some of what I have to say…"

"I'm listening, Jessica. Whatever you want to say to me, I am listening."

Jessica took a deep breath and grimaced slightly as the baby kicked hard.

"Trying to explain Fan Fiction is like trying to explain what chocolate tastes like to someone who who doesn't have the sense of taste…"

"Fan Fiction?"

"Yes. It started because of a television show in my world – Star Trek. The series had a short run – and then it was syndicated in repeats for years. Some fans started writing their own stories of that universe and its characters. And they invented their own aspects of that universe and new characters as well. It took hold and fan fiction became a big deal within the fandoms – films, books, other TV shows; you name it…"

"And you were one of these people – writing this…Fan Fiction."

"Yes…" Jessica sniffed.

"What about?" Severus asked gently even though he already knew.

"The world of _Harry Potter_ – and…and…its characters…"

"Anyone in particular?"

Jessica nodded and wiped tears from her eyes.

"You…" she said as she got up from bed and sat on the window seat, looking at the driving rain outside. "I told you – I knew I loved you before I met you; that was the god's honest truth."

She closed her eyes, leaning against the window. This was the part where the fearsome Potions Master would go off on a legendary rant of insults and put-downs. After an agonising wait that felt much longer than it actually was, strong arms went around her; warm lips grazed hers and then kissed all over her face before Jessica was embraced in a grateful hug.

"Don't you think I'm a dunderhead?" she sniffed before wiping her nose.

"You must be, to love me as you do…to have gone through so much because of me," Severus teased (though he was quite serious about the sentiment) before kissing her again.

"It's a dirty job, but someone had to do it…" Jessica said hesitantly trying to smile.

"I would quite like to know," Snape said tracing the line of her jaw, "how it was that you saw me then…before we actually met…"

There was no reply as Jessica moved a hand across her belly.

"Your imagination must be quite amazing, very much so indeed…" he continued. "…as much as your compassion; your understanding; your voice… Exceptional – but then you _are_ an exceptional woman."

"High compliments indeed; and I am not worthy of them, Severus; not one of them..."

"Ah, but you are."

"And why is that?"

"Because that is how I see _you_, Jessica; and you are everything I ever wanted..."

**xxxXXXxxx**

"You wanted to see me, Severus?" Dumbledore asked pleasantly as Snape took a seat, his countenance unreadable.

"I think it is about time we cleared the air, Headmaster – don't you?"

The Headmaster touched the tips of his fingers together bringing to mind the old children's game about church and steeple.

"So you have decided that you actually do love Miss Newkirk. A good thing given her current condition – which, by the way, will bear quite a bit of explaining as will your child. There are only so many secrets these hallowed walls can contain."

Snape's hands gripped the sides of his armchair. It was the only thing preventing him from launching himself at the old man.

"And surely you expected nothing less when you first instructed me to get close to her! Does it ever stop, Headmaster?"

"_It?"_

"The lengths to which you will go for the sake of the greater good! Your aims may be noble – but this is a real-life game of Wizard's Chess we are all engaged in! The woman I care about could have died and our child with her!"

Dumbledore leaned back in his high-backed chair and peered at his Potions Master over his spectacles. There was a slight hesitation and then he smiled.

Snape hesitated and then a startling realisation struck him.

"Yes, Severus. All it was ever really about was that love would finally find you and that you would allow it at last. Matters have progressed as I thought they would and you will just have to resent me for not being apologetic about the finer details of how your pairing came to be."

The Potions Master was filled with an incandescent rage that threatened to overwhelm every molecule of his being.

"Would you have me undo all that has gone before us from the moment of Jessica's arrival?" Dumbledore asked quietly.

Rather than answering, Snape did the only thing he could do – he sat down and scowled, his mouth set in a grim, thin line. With few exceptions, he had never been one for personal trivialities and now was no exception.

"So – what do we do about…" the Potions Master began, breaking the uneasy silence between them finally.

"We get on – as best we can, come what may…"

**xxxXXXxxx**

Jessica had dismissed Pince for the afternoon. The older woman was a bigger irritant than usual and just added to the stress of doing the job. There was a lot to get on with and the work was much easier without any unnecessary distractions. She was finally able to sort out the collection of rare books that had been woefully neglected and was making good progress.

BOOM!

"What the hell…" Jessica muttered as she flew towards the noise.

She was stopped short when she saw who the culprit was. Hermione had somehow managed to knock over a display case of wizarding antiquities, scattering the contents of it and her bulging book bags.

"Oh! And I had just finished!" Hermione wailed as she dropped to the floor and began to frantically scramble after shattered bottles of ink and blotted rolls of parchment. "I'll have to it all over again!"

Jessica hesitated, and that was probably a mistake. But she saw no point in taking out the wand Dumbledore had given her only to be shown up as not being able to use it at all. Hermione looked up at Jessica for only the briefest of moments and then took out her wand aiming it at the mess. A few short minutes later and all was as it should be, including her homework. Jessica had been doing bits and pieces by hand and it was not unnoticed by the inquisitive Gryffindor.

"Is that alright?" Hermione asked, clearly flustered by the fact that Jessica hadn't used any magic whatsoever.

"Yes, it is. No one would even guess there had been an accident here… fortunately no harm done." Jessica said slowly, turning away. "Hermione – why don't we go up to my office for a wee chat, hmm?"


	18. The Crossroads I

**Plot, new characters, new magical terms and abilities etc. are my intellectual property. If you want to borrow then please kindly ask. JK Rowling's characters and Wizarding Universe are all uniquely hers.**

**Summary: AU: What if everything we ever read in JK Rowling's books was real – including the people characterised? What would you do if you found yourself caught up in that reality knowing what was to come? SS, RL, OC **

**_Authors Note:_ _It has been mentioned in the story but now I am noting it here. I am a fan of Diana Gabaldon's 'Outlander'/'Cross Stitch' series and definitely was influenced by that in writing this story – i.e. the Standing Stones and traveling through time. But I also love Philip Pullman's 'His Dark Materials' series and the tv programme 'Sliders' and the alternate universes alongside ours idea comes from there no doubt._**

**Fantasy/Drama**

**This story is rated R/M.**

**ENIGMA**

**Chapter 018: The Crossroads I**

"How could you Jessica!" Severus roared. "Do you have any idea what you have probably just done!"

"I HAD NO CHOICE! _NONE_! You of all people know what Granger is like! She wouldn't back down and I can't blame her – I know I sure as hell wouldn't in her shoes. I wouldn't let anyone try and convince me that what I'd seen with my own eyes wasn't real!"

The Potions Master opened his mouth to speak but the words would not come. His breathing was laboured and hard – Jessica was right; he of all people would have never backed away from what his senses were telling him if had been himself in Granger's place. Still – there was no guarantee the little know-it-all could even be trusted.

"Discretion is most definitely not a virtue of anyone in that house," he seethed.

He slammed his hand down on her desk, causing the inkwell to tip over. He nearly destroyed whatever it was he was working on, and that only served to further upset him.

"There was nothing else I could do, Severus! Please don't be like this!"

There was nothing but an angry silence and Jessica felt more and more to blame for something she had no control over.

"Hermione Granger has never struck me as the sort who would go around telling tales and spreading gossip, especially knowing how destructive it could be. She gave me her word – and I don't have a reason not to trust her; she's got her issues, lord knows, but she's better than you want to give her credit for right now!" she said with a sniff.

Snape put his head in his hands and then pulled his hands down his face several times.

"McGonagall was under the impression that the Dementors were fighting over you; which would suggest that somehow, someway your situation is known to someone in this world besides those of us closest to the Headmaster – and now Miss Granger…"

"I disagree, actually. I think the Dementors had been deprived of a good meal for too long and I was too much of a temptation. The morning hadn't fully dawned yet – officially they were still bound to be on patrol; you certainly thought so as we headed into Hogsmeade. Whoever was out there was fair game. It just happened to me rather than you – and it could have easily been someone else. And whatever it is that Tom Riddle is right now – he has no consciousness of me as I did him. Don't ask me how, but I'm sure of it."

"I have actually had the same thoughts myself; but with everything going on – I just wanted you to be alright before I laid all of _that_ at your feet," the Potions Master sighed.

There was a sharp pain in her abdomen and Jessica sucked in her breath.

"Oh!" she moaned, dropping into a seat and trying to regulate her breathing.

Snape jumped up and flew around the desk.

"Are you alright? The baby…?"

"He's alright – just a little agitated by our arguing I think."

The professor let out a breath he didn't know he was holding and gave a faint nod.

"Promise me you will take it easy. You and the baby matter to me – nothing else…"

"I have a couple of things to finish and then I'm going back to our quarters."

Snape pulled Jessica into his arms and held her close. "I'm sorry…" he murmured quietly into her hair. "I just…I just don't want anything to happen to you…"

"I know," Jessica whispered as she held his face in her hands and gave him a kiss. "But Severus – the more we try to control things, the more things seem to go wrong… We just have to let things take their course…whatever it is meant to be."

Snape looked her ruefully.

"I know. That is what I have been afraid of…"

**xxxOOOxxx**

Professor Lupin hadn't seen Jessica for weeks. Outside of teaching classes and grading coursework, his was a relative solitary existence at Hogwarts. But his life had come to be extremely isolated one in the aftermath of the First War of Voldemort.

He was looking for a particular book to do a bit of fact-checking before the last exams of the term.

'_God – how sad is this? Bank Holiday Weekend and I am in the bloody Library like a male Hermione Granger…'_ he thought to himself.

He stood at the front desk. But before he could call on Madam Pince, the sound of intense arguing reached his ears. Lupin followed the now shrill screaming from one of the combatants (for that is exactly what they sounded like – it was the mother of all bust-ups) and found himself near the Restricted Section observing Madam Pince trying to break Jessica yet again.

"What is your problem now?" Jessica asked a bit irritably.

She wasn't feeling well and the last thing she needed was yet another run-in with Pince.

She'd had to raise her voice slightly to be heard, but she wasn't going to loose her rag like the old woman who most definitely was not in charge even though she suffered under the delusion that she was. Jessica didn't report into Pince and that was definitely a good thing. McGonagall had definitely known what she was doing with that arrangement. The Deputy Headmistress could be tough and sometimes pushed too many of the wrong buttons with Jessica, but at least she could be fair – most of the time.

"Who do you think you are!" Pince shrieked, "Swanning around like Lady Muck…meddling in things you shouldn't be…"

"_Ahem hem! Excuse me, Ladies,"_ Lupin said. "I was wondering if one of you could help me…"

"Of course, Professor," Jessica answered quickly. "What can I do for you?"

Pince looked outraged and opened her mouth to speak; but before she could utter a word Lupin turned his attention to the interloper on her territory. The older woman didn't want to be anywhere near the werewolf – but she would be damned if her Ladyship would get an oar in.

"I have been looking around for the past few days – a book called '_Nevermind the Bollocks – The Truth About Kappas'_. I can't find it anywhere and I need to check a few things in preparation for my final exams for the Third Years before the Summer holidays."

"A bit eager, eh Professor?" Jessica said with a smile. "I wish I could tell you where it is – but since Madam here has not done any shelving for the last month, I have absolutely no idea where to start looking to be honest…"

"You little…" Pince hissed with a glare. "I know where it is! _I know where every single book in this Library is!_"

"Of course you do," Jessica said with a sniff, making it quite clear she knew that was a lie.

She had spent over an hour trying to help Hermione Granger find some books she was anxious to have for Lupin's class when Pince wasn't able to. Her heart was in her throat as she helped the young Gryffindor. She knew by now that Hermione has sussed that her Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher was a werewolf. Jessica couldn't wiggle her way out of helping the girl get the proof she needed.

But Jessica had played nice and polite for so long with Madam Pince, too bloody long. It was time to roll up her sleeves and get dirty. She was from West Philly, not some snooty, aristocratic English estate even if that was the accent she spoke with in her adopted country.

"One small problem – Madam… As I have pointed out to you _so many times that I am making myself sick having to say it yet again, _it makes NO sense that only **one person** is able to find anything around here, if they find what they are looking for at all! There are five bloody floors of books spanning the breadth of the castle. It is too much for one person even under the best of circumstances! We have to trust students and faculty to be able to function independently and not be so duty-bound such as to have to seek us out for every little thing – it's no wonder nothing gets done and acquisitions are down – I have spent too much time looking for books instead of purchasing and organising! We have not fulfilled any requests for over a month and that is unacceptable! I have never been at a library that didn't function well under the Dewey Decimal Classification System! You don't have to like it – but you damn well better get used to it! You don't bother to shelve and when you do you deliberately misfile and I will not stand for it anymore! This Library should tick over like clockwork regardless of who is on duty!"

"I never heard of it and I don't care – things were fine as they were!"

"There is a first time for everything! I have a job to do Madam Pince – and I could do with getting on with it and at least a modicum of respect and professional courtesy from you! I am sick and tired of this nonsense day-in and day-out. If you don't like it – then see Professor Dumbledore – _again_!"

Just then the bell sounded from the old clocktower.

"Oh I will take this up with him all right – _and McGonagall_!" Pince huffed before storming off.

"God almighty…" Jessica said angrily. "I haven't done _anything _to her and all I get is grief!"

Before Lupin could say anything she grabbed her belly and doubled up, clearly in pain. The blood drained from his face at the sight.

"Something's not right – come on, you need Madam Pomfrey!"

"I…I'm alright. He's just… me being upset distresses him. The same thing happens when Severus and I argue…"

Lupin didn't answer as he took in the sight of Jessica's pale and clammy skin.

"You aren't well, Jessica. Don't argue with me, let's go…"

She could barely stand up and so the werewolf scooped her up and carried her in his arms, resisting the temptation to ask her what could she and Severus possibly be arguing about – and so much?

**xxxOOOxxx**

"Well?" Snape snapped. "Have you any real diagnosis to make or are you just taking yet another wild guess!"

"_Without a proper medical history_ _all I can do is guess_, Professor!" Madam Pomfrey snorted.

"The baby just kicked harder than usual…that's all…" Jessica said frustratedly.

She had wanted to thank Remus, but he disappeared the moment he heard the Potions Master was on his way to the infirmary.

"The mother knows better than anyone else would," the mediwitch sniffed.

"Great – then there is no reason for me to stay here."

"You seem to be alright now," Snape said unconvincingly. "And if the medical professional cannot be of service then there is no point to remaining."

"Exactly. I just want to be in my own bed – you're just as qualified to look after me…"

Not wanting to argue and risk another episode with the pregnancy, the professor picked Jessica up and carried her back to their quarters. Surprisingly, several lights were on when they stepped through the portrait.

"I neglected to mention that we have a visitor…" Snape said cryptically.

"MUMMY!" came a little squeak as he lay Jessica down on their bed and arranged the blankets.

"Harvey? HARVEY!" Jessica screeched as a fat bundle of purple fluff flung itself on her.

"Harvey!" Snape snapped. "What did I tell you about being careful with your mother? She isn't well!"

The little butterball of a Jarvey sniffed and then burst into tears as he clung to Jessica.

"Harvey missed Mummy! Harvey wants to stay with Mummy and Daddy!"

Jessica looked up at Severus, searching his face for answers.

"He belongs with us, not the Headmaster," the Potions Master said quietly as he adjusted the blankets and then stoked the fire. "Although god knows what Dumbledore has been feeding him…"

"One too many sherbet lemons and custard tarts, it looks like…" Jessica said, stifling a yawn as she lay on her side.

Harvey curled up beside her, fascinated with her bump. He gave it a gentle poke, causing Jessica to smile.

"Mummy _fat_," Harvey squeaked. "Mummy fat like Harvey!"

"Gee thanks – but not quite…" Jessica yawned.

"Your mother needs rest, Harvey, and so do I," Snape said scooping the little Jarvey up with one hand.

"Awwwww!"

"We have the whole of the weekend and the Bank Holiday to be together. You will sleep in your own room, no arguments." Snape said firmly.

"My. Own. Room?" the little Jarvey squeaked as he was carried out of his parents' bedroom.

"Yes – your own room…" came a gruff answer.

A few minutes later Severus returned and changed into his nightshirt.

"Merlin's beard, what a day," he murmured. "Thank Merlin hee was sound asleep before I even finished settling him down for the night."

"Thank you," Jessica said sleepily as he gently pulled her into his arms.

"What for?" Severus teased.

"For getting our baby boy back; it feels… _right_… again…."

Severus gave her a kiss.

"Get some sleep, we can talk in the morning."

"Oh?"

"Nothing serious – except trying to explain where babies come from…"

"_Oh mother_… shouldn't you take him out for an ice cream or something?"

"Ice cream? What does food have to do with it?"

"Well you can't take him to a baseball game, now can you?"

"A _what_?"

Jessica smiled and burst into laughter.

"A friend a grew up with – him and his brothers always knew when they were in for 'The Talk'… Their father would take each one on his own to see the Phillies. They learned more about baseball than they cared to rather than that weapon of mass destruction between their legs…"

"Weapon? Mass destruction? Jessica, don't you think you are being a bit melodramatic? It is not entirely a man's fault if woman falls pregnant! She carries as much the blame as he does!"

"When men rape love has nothing to do with it!" Jessica snapped. "Its about violence and degredation and control and I don't want to hear it about women who rape – its not even the same bloody thing!"

"Jessica, I do NOT want to fight with you….!"

"I'M NOT FIGHTING!"

"Oh no? Then what in blazes do you call this then? I asked a simple question and then get attacked over your own answer!

Jessica burst into tears.

"I'm sorry; I'm sorry Severus. It's just my hormones…they are out of control!"

She cried even harder and Snape hugged her close.

"You are not well, Jessica. Something about this pregnancy is a problem for you… "

"What? No, Severus… there's nothing wrong – there can't be…"

"You haven't been well for some time and we both know it. You are not a Muggle from this world and Merlin only knows how compatible our physiologies are…"

Jessica began to cry even harder; she'd been wondering the same thing for a while. The more she thought about it, the more stressed and upset she was. She didn't want to loose her baby…

"Promise me you will take it easy!" Snape begged as he held her tight. "There is no one we can consult about this…."

"If others from this world made it to mine and assimilated – there has to be compatibility, there has to!"

"It is likely that there are degrees of compatibility. DNA is complex enough in either world I would imagine… But this; this is something far more difficult. The problems that you are having – did you have them…_ before_… with you ex-husband?"

Jessica sighed through her tears.

"No – I didn't. I miscarried because of his violence… He didn't want a baby or me and he was _determined_ to not be a father."

Both fell silent as Severus digested the implications of what was finally laid bare to him.

"I can't believe I even managed it with you. The doctors had me fairly convinced I would never have children after that… I just… I wanted you so much I didn't even consider the possibility. Here I am in this world I have only ever read about and dreamt about – and the one person who interested me takes notice. And he's not exactly the character Rowling wrote – he's…" Jessica sniffed.

"What…?" Snape murmured. "I have dreaded asking you… about… what that, that _woman _said about me… what did she say? I want to know!"

Jessica looked past him out the window as they lay together. This was a moment she had known would come and dreaded. How could she tell him that in her world opinion was sharply divided; that he just a heartless figure of derision, hate and ugliness to many – he was evil and a murderer. And yet to others he was an anti-hero, but decidedly romanticized. The literary Severus Snape was a fascinatingly complex man. The Harry filter of Canon was not kind to him. It was filling in the blanks that made the enigmatic Potions Master even more fascinating.

"Well," Snape said between hard swallows. "I suppose your silence speaks volumes."

There was an awkward silence which he broke.

"But… there must have been something worthwhile there… you fell in love with me…"

Jessica couldn't answer – how could she possibly answer that any better than she had the first time they touched on this subject? She said as much – but far from placating Severus it did nothing but aggravate him.

Snape sat up and swung his legs out so that his feet touched the floor.

"You fell in love with an _idea_ – not with _me_. You have no real idea who I am! You came into this world with ideas about me that have nothing to do with the flesh and blood man that I _am_!"

"So I am having the baby of a stranger, is that it? I haven't learned anything about you?"

"You have no idea what I have done! We have not spoken of it!"

"To be a Death Eater – you are capable of extreme cruelty; pain; hate…"

"I do not believe you have ever thought of these matters as you ought. I am not some romantic hero from one of your novels, Jessica. I have done things that have damned my soul for all eternity! There is nothing that can save me – not even you! You don't even know me – not really! This is a nightmare for you – but at the same time; it's the stuff of your fantasies, born of frustration out of the pain and emptiness that was _your life_!"

"So – so what all this boils down to is you fucked one hell of a fan girl who is living out some macabre fantasy? Thanks Severus, thanks for nothing!"

Snape said nothing as he turned around and shot her a venomous look. He stood up fast and got dressed.

"For God's sake where are you going?" Jessica cried out. "This is madness!"

"Yes – it most certainly is! The Headmaster had the best of intentions in bringing us together in his mind – but he was wrong and once again I am paying a heavy a price for his machinations! I should have fought harder against getting close to you as he demanded!"

Jessica's face looked like it had been slapped.

"So – you were with me out of duty to Dumbledore. _Nice_…"

"I guess we're even!" Snape hissed.

"And I guess I don't really know you after all… I only thought I did. I wanted to see the real you that's lost from even from yourself… I thought I did – but I was wrong… dead wrong… It was all smoke and mirrors – nothing more…"

"Love is nothing but an illusion!"

"Well – another fine 'How do you do'…Dumbledore got what he wanted and ruined our lives in the process. Interesting… '

Snape said nothing and stormed out of the bedroom.

Jessica was still until she heard the door to their quarters slam shut. She shook her head numbly, willing herself to calm down. It was to no avail. She began to rock back and forth, crying hard as she clutched her unborn child. She sat for what felt like an eternity, rocking in a heady stupor. Her life in this strange new world was torn asunder and there was no way to repair the damage.

**xxxOOOxxx**

"But he loves us…" she wailed softly after a great deal of time had passed. "He…OH!"

She stood up shakily. Something was wrong. Something was terribly wrong with the baby.

"Severus..." she moaned. "_Oh God, Severus_!"

Hot beads of sweat poured down her body and she realised that she couldn't be here all alone. She needed the only person in this world who meant anything to her. She needed Severus.

Jessica reached into their closet and pulled out a dress. She forced herself to walk through crippling pain to the door and through it, but not before vomiting. She looked at the floor in a tearful haze.

_Blood._

She was vomiting blood.

"Oh God, please… Please help me…" she cried as she stumbled forward.

It felt like hours were passing rather than minutes as she shuffled slowly down the hall, bent over from pain. She made her way down to Severus' office only to find he wasn't there….

Only a hot cauldron filled with a foul-smelling liquid.

Smelling it made her feel even worse.

"I need…help…" Jessica groaned out loud. "I need you, Severus; I need you so much right now!"

She waited a few minutes and still he did not come. This made no sense. He would be the last one to leave his office unattended and for so long completely unlocked and unwarded.

"Remus – maybe Remus can help me…"

Jessica made it as far as the end of the hall before collapsing. She felt a trickle down a leg and began to cry.

"Remus! REMUS!"

She clutched at her belly, doubled over in pain as she crept forward. It was as though she was being stabbed and then ripped apart. And the trickle became heavier and it was both legs now.

Jessica made it to the werewolf's office…

…and fell apart when she saw that the lights were on and no one was there.

"God please… why are you doing this to me?" she cried.

She looked down and a horror-filled recognition came over her.

There on Remus' desk was _The Marauder's Map_ and a goblet that was steaming with a potion that had not been touched. That smell…it was the same potion from the cauldron in Severus' office.

Jessica looked out the window at the Whomping Willow.

Its violently waving branches were now stock-still.

"Oh my God. No!..." she railed in disbelief. "No! I could have stopped him! It didn't have to happen… and it's all my fault! **_ARRRGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!_**"

She threw up again, and there was more pain and blood.

The pain; God help her the pain…

_Severus. _

He would need someone on his side. She had to go to him. He would be coming out of the Whomping Willow – one way or other he would be coming out. In the book _Harry Potter and_ _the Prisoner of Azkaban_, he was unconscious and tied up with his head lolling to the side like a grotesque dummy; in the film he chasing after Harry and his friends, only to put his life on the line to protect them from Remus Lupin who had fully transformed into a werewolf. And all this because of Peter Pettigrew, who was not dead as had been believed and was set to rejoin Lord Voldemort. Peter Pettigrew, the unregistered Animagus who had been masquerading as Ron's pet rat Scabbers for over a decade.

So it had begun.

They were on the precipice of the next great war of Voldemort. The first sign would be the Dark Mark on Severus' arm burning black. He would show it to the Minister of Magic later this very night, according to the book, when the politician refused to believe that Voldemort was back. The first sign for all in the wizarding world would come in a few months time, at the Quidditch World Cup.

"No – _I won't let you face this on your own!_" she murmured.

Jessica steeled herself through the blood, tears and pain and forced herself to leave Lupin's office and make her way towards the Great Hall. She didn't care about anyone else – only the man she still deeply and desperately loved.

Severus needed her; and she and their unborn child needed him.


	19. Tales of the Unexpected

**Plot, new characters, new magical terms and abilities etc. are my intellectual property. If you want to borrow then please kindly ask. JK Rowling's characters and Wizarding Universe are all uniquely hers.**

**Summary: AU: What if everything we ever read in JK Rowling's books was real – including the people characterised? What would you do if you found yourself caught up in that reality knowing what was to come? SS, RL, OC **

**_Authors Note:_ _It has been mentioned in the story but now I am noting it here. I am a fan of Diana Gabaldon's 'Outlander'/'Cross Stitch' series and definitely was influenced by that in writing this story – i.e. the Standing Stones and traveling through time. But I also love Philip Pullman's 'His Dark Materials' series and the tv programme 'Sliders' and the alternate universes alongside ours idea comes from there no doubt._**

**_NOTE: This chapter has been quite difficult do because of the whole time travel thing… I tried…and I know I've failed…_**

**Fantasy/Drama**

**This story is rated R/M.**

**ENIGMA**

**Chapter 019: Tales of the Unexpected**

Jessica moved forward with a jerky gait. The spasms were so frequent she could time them as if they were contractions.

'No…' she sobbed.

She stumbled and put her hands out as if to stop herself from falling. Unable to control her fall, she pitched forward and landed hard on the ground, hitting her head on a sharp rock. Dazed, she curled up into a fetal position, sobbing breathlessly.

'Oh my God!' she heard a familiar voice exclaim in a quiet whisper. _'It's Miss Newkirk – but we shouldn't…!'_

Two figures bounded over to her and leaned down, unable to hide their own anxiety.

'What are you…' Harry began.

'Harry,' Jessica cried. 'I'm sorry! I'm so, so sorry!'

Harry and Hermione looked at each other and then at the Librarian.

'What are you doing here…!' Hermione shrieked quietly.

Her panic turned to near hysteria as she took in the sight of Jessica's blood-stained dress, legs and face.

'What happened to you?' Harry croaked.

'N…n…never…m..mind,' Jessica stuttered before coughing up more blood. 'Do what you…have to do…'

The two Gryffindors gaped at her open-mouthed.

'You don't have m…much time left….I think…. GO! You have to…!'

Tears began streaming down Hermione's face as she knelt next to Jessica.

'No! We can't leave you like this!'

Jessica grabbed Harry's hand.

'**He's innocent, Harry; and you're all he's got…'**

'But how do you KNOW?' Harry asked incredulously falling to his knees. 'How can you possibly…?'

'We don't have time for this!' Jessica said heatedly as she grabbed her abdomen and then moaned. 'Both of you need to get out of here!'

'I'm not going anywhere!' Hermione said as she held onto Jessica. 'You can do it Harry! Just remember what Dumbledore said!'

Harry clutched at the ground as he thought for a moment, rocking back and forth.

'Just answer one question,' Jessica said solemnly.

Harry nodded 'yes' as he wiped tears from a cheek. It killed him to see one of his favourite teachers like this. He had learned so much from Jessica and he liked that he could talk to her, even when he had the sense that he'd let her down by not doing the best he could for himself. Sometimes, it made him wonder what having his own mum around would have been like. He didn't want Jessica to die too…

'Professor Snape – he's in there…at the end with you two – your other selves…isn't he…he just went in…not long ago?'

Harry didn't need to answer; the look on his face said everything as Jessica lay her head in Hermione's lap and let the young girl smooth her hair back.

'Did you knock him out – accidentally – with a sort of stunning spell?' she asked nervously.

'No way,' Harry answered quizzically. 'I'm not that stupid!'

'Oh my god...but…' Jessica moaned. 'Listen both of you – you need to get out here and get on with it! You know the Law – all hell will break loose when you come out of there…and if you two are still here…'

'_But we **can't** leave you like this!'_ Harry screeched as he began to cry.

'And what about you! You _can't be here either!_' Hermione said tearfully.

'Listen to me both of you! Sirius Black has spent the better part of his adult life locked away for something he didn't do! And he will die tonight unless you go on with what you have to do – the Headmaster is counting on you! I'll…I'll be alright…'

'_But…'_ Hermione interjected.

'No 'buts' Hermione! For once can just you do what I ask you to – _please_!'

'You're pregnant aren't you!' Hermione whispered. 'And you're losing your baby!'

'He's already gone,' Jessica sobbed as she broke down. 'It's too late for him…'

'Don't say that,' Harry whispered. 'If we get you to the infirmary…!'

'Then your Godfather will die! Is that what you want? I'm not worth that, Harry! Really, I'm not!'

'You are to me!' Harry said angrily. 'It's not fair!'

'A lot of things about life just aren't fair, Love. But you already know that, don't you?' Jessica said gently, reaching out and pulling him to her.

She looked up at the moon, obscured as it presently was by cloud cover. It wouldn't be long now before the fullness of Sister Moon showed itself, after Severus, Remus, Ron, the other Hermione and Harry, Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew emerged from the base of the Whomping Willow.

'Go on now – go!'

'**_But you could die out here!'_** Harry said heatedly.

'Oh God, please!' Jessica hissed. 'Look – just help me over there and then get the hell out of here! If the two of you are not back in the infirmary when they come…then **you** _will_ die!'

'She's right Harry!' Hermione said tightly. 'We don't have a choice – and we _are_ running out of time!'

The two Gryffindors pulled Jessica to her feet and they moved as quickly as they dared into the relative safety of the Forbidden Forest where the Hippogriff Buckbeak was straining against his tether.

Jessica propped herself against a boulder and restrained the scream that rose in her throat as slegehammering pain tore at her body.

'Oh my God we can't!' Hermione whispered, clearly torn.

'Go on… get out of here! Now!' Jessica hissed as she tried not to push, but to no avail.

Buckbeak looked at the newcomer curiously and then flapped a wing in her direction. He started clawing his way towards her, clucking gently.

'No Buckbeak, No!' Hermione hissed as she tried to hold onto the rope that held him down.

'He can sense that she's hurt; Hagrid said that he's really attached to her...' Harry said sadly. "She did a lot to try and help him…"

Harry started forward and then Hermione pulled him back.

'Look! This is it!' she whispered as she watched the ragged band of figures emerge from the base of the Whomping Willow.

Jessica was lying on the ground now, trying desperately not to push.

'GO ON!' she hissed.

Harry and Hermione both looked back in frustration… and then hurriedly untied Buckbeak. They had no choice but to move deeper into the forest when they saw Professor Lupin changing into a werewolf. Pettigrew wasted no time in changing into his Animagus rat form and taking off. The young Gryffindors watched in horror as the demented werewolf came charging to very near where Jessica lay injured, no doubt on the scent of the blood.

Suddenly Snape emerged, looked around angrily and headed towards the forest as if guided by some unknown force. In reality, he was following a trail of blood that didn't make any sense. Jessica rolled over and there was a loud CRACK! She moaned uncontrollably as her body fought to expel the child within.

Harry motioned for Hermione to wait just a minute…

'_No…please…'_ Jessica cried softly as her legs opened.

'Jessica?' they heard Snape call out anxiously. 'Jessica!'

'What the hell is going on?' Harry whispered as he drank in the sight of the Potions Master rushing over to where the Librarian lay slipping into unconsciousness.

'Oh God – oh my God!' Snape muttered, clearly stunned. 'Jessica… what…what…?'

The Potions Master cradled her in his arms, and told her he was sorry – that he didn't mean it. He was just angry…angry over nothing…

'I'm sorry too… you were right, Severus,' Jessica moaned before passing out. _'I did ruin your life…'_

'No,' Snape whispered as tears began steaming down his cheeks. 'You** are** the best thing that's ever happened to me!'

Harry and Hermione looked at each other wild-eyed as Buckbeak reared back and took off.

The last thing they saw between the unlikely lovers was the werewolf charging forward and Snape springing to his feet with his arms outstretched almost Christ-like to shield Jessica. Hermione let out a blood-curdling howl that confused the creature and sent it tearing off in the opposite direction. She and Harry hoped it was enough for Jessica to escape just as the Hippogriff took off.

Both looked back as they headed towards the school, unable to see anything through the thick canopy of trees. But they couldn't worry about Jessica and Snape anymore right now – they needed to free Sirius Black and get themselves back to the infirmary with very little time left.

_**xxxOOOxxx**_

Jessica came to somewhat in the infirmary with a woman whom she mistook for Madame Pomfrey at her side.

'I lost my baby,' Jessica croaked deliriously as one of her hands lightly brushed her softened, flatter abdomen. She couldn't believe how much blood there still was – the small room smelled of it. 'I lost my baby…'

The older woman nodded tearfully as she smoothed Jessica's hair back.

The Librarian closed her eyes and began to cry softly as the older woman took her in her arms and rocked her through tears of her own. She had so much to say to Jessica, so much that Jessica needed to know… But it would have to wait.

Her dark secrets, fatefully intertwined with Jessica's own, would be too much for Jessica to have to deal with in one night.

_**xxxOOOxxx**_

When Jessica next opened her eyes it was Severus holding her in his arms, smoothing her hair as he held back the tears and grief of his own that threatened to consume him. She glanced at the clock across from them and realised that according to fiction, the man she loved should be in the presence of the Dark Lord in a graveyard rather than wasting his time with her.

"_He'll kill you…"_ she croaked.

"No – he won't, my love. Don't worry about him."

"I'm just a distraction – you'll be killed and…I'll lose you – for good and…"

"_Not according to your books…"_

"I wish I had never read those damned books!"

"Hush," Snape whispered as he held a vial to her lips. "You need to rest now…"

The truth of his life was laid bare before them and he hadn't turned into a pillar of salt. Jessica should hate him for what he put her through, but she still loved him. Everything she had done and all the risks she had taken; everything she wanted to believe was because she **loved** _him_. Love always had conditions; or so he had thought.

It was enough that they had lost their child; he didn't want to lose the only woman he had ever truly loved to the depths of his magical core. He couldn't bring himself to broach the subject of Jessica's grave health.

The woman in his arms protested feebly, but in less than a minute she was in a deep sleep.

Only time would tell if she ever woke up again, but for now Snape did regrettably have other business to attend to.

_**xxxOOOxxx**_

"Harry – you awake?" Hermione whispered from the bed next to his on the main ward of the infirmiry after Snape left along with Dumbledore and Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic.

"Of course I am…and I don't want to talk about; I don't want to talk about any of it!"

"But Professor Snape… and Miss Newkirk…"

"I SAID I DON'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT!" Harry hissed as he turned his back to her.

Hermione's head snapped as though she had been slapped. She stared in disbelief at the back of the Boy Who Lived and came to the realisation that perhaps she didn't know him as well as she'd thought.

His reaction made no sense.

_**xxxOOOxxx**_

Three days later Snape dragged himself through the dungeons at Hogwarts having returned from Voldemort's lair. He found a strength he didn't know he had to get to his quarters. It took several hours of hard work to heal himself, but at least he would survive what had been done to him. He had long been an expert with diagnosis – mastered as a child.

The Potions Master looked at himself in Jessica's full-length mirror in their bedroom. His face has swollen to three times its size and was a mass of black, blue and purple bruising; his nose had been broken along with four ribs. A shoulder had been dislocated and he expertly popped it back into place.

Jessica couldn't see him like this; she must not be tainted by it any more than she already had been. She was so innocent in all of this even with what she thought she knew, and yet had been hurt so much already because of him. What kind of man was he such that he couldn't do the right thing now and let her go? Was it so wrong to want what they'd had together – what they still had in abundance despite his rampant dunderheadedness?

Suddenly there was a loud _WHOOSH _to his right and he glanced momentarily at the flare of bright white flames in the hearth of the fireplace.

"Is she…" he whispered hoarsely, staring at the clots of blood on one side of his head and then at a bootprint on his chest.

"No; she's… hanging on…"

"I don't know why _she_ even summoned _you_…"

"_She _gives a good impression of not having as big a heart as she does. I would venture to say it runs in the family."

"_Be that as it may…"_

"I know; I know… I thought you might be returning soon and thought I would take the chance to tell you myself. You certainly are in no fit shape to go to the infirmary just yet…but _she_ **would** help you if only…"

"_I rather suppose I am not…"_ Snape barked, cutting short the sentiment he knew to be forthcoming; it was the same old thing every time they spoke.

Several pots and tubes sailed from the fire and landed on the bed.

"Just some things I thought you both might need…." his visitor said.

"I can manage well enough for the two of us just fine!"

"Of course you can, there's nothing you can't do when you set your mind to it. But this isn't something you have to face alone, Severus. I'm on your side, just as I've always been…"

Snape said nothing as he sat dejectedly on the bed and fingered the items strewn about. Truth be told he did need them. He certainly didn't have the presence of mind or the energy needed to do any brewing and couldn't for at least another week. As in his youth – it would take him at least a few days to be fully healed and rested.

"You mustn't take any unnecessary risks now that he is back," Snape said slowly.

There was nothing but silence from the fireplace. He stared at it woodenly, letting the reality of his situation sink in. Lord Voldemort had well and truly returned; and now more than ever the Potions Master truly wanted liberation; the freedom to live, the freedom to be his own man and most important of all – the freedom to love and love openly.

_**xxxOOOxxx**_

It was almost a week later before Snape emerged amongst the populace at Hogwarts. The first port of call was the infirmary. He swooped into Jessica's room and to his surprise found Madame Pomfrey sitting with her, reading to Jessica quietly though the younger woman was not conscious to hear it.

He started to speak but then closed his mouth quickly with a sharp intake of breath. He was on the verge of being exceedingly unpleasant, when really there was no justification for it.

"You seem to have had a bit of a change of heart about her," he huffed.

He wasn't given an answer, but the look on Pomfrey's face was enough.

"Don't indulge any false pretenses if you do not truly care for her!" Snape snapped.

"I could say the same to you," the Mediwitch said as she rose from her seat. "You forget how old I am – and how long I've been here. You don't know what it was like before you were born; and before Dumbledore was Headmaster. The fact that Jessica is here – that a _Muggle_ is _allowed_ to be here – isn't the done thing. I wasn't kind to her when I could have been. But I thought I was protecting myself from… I thought could keep myself from feeling…. You know what happened to the few before her that made it into our world, don't you?"

"Yes," Snape sighed as he sat on the edge of the bed. "I've seen them – the graves by the abbey…"

He blinked his eyes rapidly as he looked over at the woman he had never stopped loving from the moment she kissed him all those months ago. The Potions Master closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around himself as the Mediwitch walked past him.

"You will get through this, Severus; just as your uncle and I did…"

There was a faint THUMP as the door closed behind Snape's aunt.

The Potions Master let out a ragged breath, his mind filled to overflowing so many 'if only s'. If only he hadn't lost his temper; if only he weren't suspicious of everything and everyone around him; if only he wasn't so afraid to feel; if only he was free; if only, if only, _if only_…

_xxxxxxx_

_Jessica had lain in a pool of blood, the body of their stillborn son between her opened legs. Snape's progeny hadn't even survived to take his first breath in this hate-filled world; he hadn't survived to be assimilated into the ranks of Death Eater progeny. The Potions Master would never forget the sound his son's body hitting the ground as he shielded Jessica from the werewolf. And then out of nowhere there was a sound – a strange, unnatural howl – that caused the Dark Creature to rear back and take off for parts unknown in the Forbidden Forrest._

_**Lupin.**_

_The werewolf had finally gone and Snape had returned his attention to the one person that needed it above all others. Jessica had been passed out cold, her hands and legs smeared with blood. She had regained consciousness long enough to have grabbed their child and held tightly to him – it was almost as if she had willed what little life she'd had left into her child._

_But neither of them stirred. _

_Severus Snape cried as he held the cold body of his dead son in his arms. He gently stroked the mass of jet black hair that crowned his sons head and then lightly touched his eyelids and his delicate little hands and toes._

_As long as he had life left in him, Severus Snape would never forgive the werewolf for this. Lupin and his damned Wolfsbane, the Wolfsbane which he'd so conveniently forgotten to take – and on the one night above all others when such a mistake had been so very grave indeed. This night had cost he and Jessica so much… _

_xxxxxxx_

What the Potions Master wouldn't give to undo it all…

_**xxxOOOxxx**_

He had managed to get an illegal time-turner several days later; but it was smashed beyond recognition when he returned to Hogwarts from Knockturn Alley. He'd spent a whole month's wages and it had come to nothing.

Snape shook his head in disbelief and then went up to the infirmary.

_**xxxOOOxxx**_

The burial ritual was to be that night; there was no more time to waste.

Jessica was propped up in bed; feverishly concentrating on the beading of her son's burial clothing and accessories when Severus walked in. She had completed the tunic, necklaces, headband, moccasins and bracelets. The only thing left to finish were the blankets.

She hadn't had any semblance of sleep since regaining consciousness – and it scared Madame Pomfrey to witness it. The Librarian hadn't bathed and her hair was wild. Dark circles ringed her eyes – but Jessica would not let anyone touch her.

She had demanded that her son's body be brought to her – and would not calm down until it was done. Then she wouldn't let anyone else touch him and had nearly scratched the Mediwitch's eyes out for using a preserving spell.

Not having any idea where Snape went, Dumbledore assumed that he'd been summoned by Voldemort or perhaps Lucius Malfoy. But then Malfoy turned up for a hastily assembled School Governors meeting about the situation with Lupin, baying for the werewolf's blood. Fortunately Malfoy senior was preoccupied and did not think to ask for Snape – though such an occurrence was rare even under normal circumstances. But the Headmaster was concerned, gravely concerned, with the situation that had befallen two of his staff members – two in his inner circle.

"_Jessica,"_ Severus whispered hoarsely as he stood by the door flanked by the Headmaster.

There was a rainstorm from hell outside and he was dripping wet and shivering with cold.

"I need to… He can't go home without… I need to finish it…" she whimpered.

Jessica's hands shook as she tried to stitch tiny beads in the patterns of her people on the blanket. It was hard to see blinded as she was by so many tears.

Snape sat across from her on the bed and began to help her. Magic would not do for this: this was for _their son_. Their heads were silently bent over the blankets and each followed the intricate pattern carefully. Tears streamed down both their cheeks and finally Jessica collapsed in a heap over the body of her baby. She clung to him and howled with a pain that crushed the spirits of the few who heard it. It was more than Snape could take – and he too finally collapsed.

Hagrid stomped up to the Headmaster to tell him that everything was ready, but they'd best be getting to it before the storm got worse. Dumbledore whispered to him and McGonagall and then to Madame Pomfrey. But all in the room were overcome with emotion at the sight of the Severus Snape and Jessica with their dead child.

Knowing the shame Snape would feel and deeply resent that his privacy was invaded, the Headmaster quietly directed the others out of the room.

_**xxxOOOxxx**_

Severus and Madame Pomfrey guided Jessica to the grave of her son shrouded in darkness. Jessica was the closest thing Hogwarts would ever have to a Sachem and so it was to her that all assembled looked to for guidance. Her son was 'going home' as a Nanticoke-Lenape with no mention of the wizard he might have been or the customs of this world. For Jessica, it was only those rituals which she knew; those beliefs that formed the core of what she herself was that mattered.

The Librarian had been cleaned up and somehow Severus had procured the necessary garments that she required to say _"Lapich Knewell"_ to her child. After the lid to the tiny coffin had been removed, Jessica took in the sight of the food items that had been set at the grave as was the custom of her people. She gazed lovingly with pride at her son, finely dressed and painted in a manner never seen by anyone in this world. Hagrid stood over the tiny grave with a large umbrella to keep the rain away.

The ornamentation of this child was a sight to behold. In keeping with tradition, the youngest Snape was "going home" in a manner befitting a chieftan. Jessica explained that the Nanticoke and Lenapes bury their dead with ceremonies according to rank and condition of the body. There was no one in this world more important than her son, save his father. And blessedly her child had no deformities. Items were placed in the coffin that her son might enjoy in his next life, given he had not lived to enjoy them in this one.

"The people of the Nanticoke and Lenape tribes believe life is centered around close bonds of kinship and family. The respect given to the memory of the dead and the concept of the survival of the soul after the death of the body forms an integral part of our beliefs," Jessica said firmly. "At the moment of death the spirit separates from the body, but it doesn't necessarily leave the area. The spirit remains in the vicinity for eleven days in which it subsists on food found in the houses of the living, if none has been placed at the grave; the food is not eaten, but somehow the spirit takes nourishment from it."

She gestured towards the food and then continued. "After the eleven days the spirit travels to the home of the Creator or highest heaven. Here, the spirit lives eternity in the Happy Hunting Ground where pain, sickness, sorrow, and worry have no place. Only flesh is injured, not he spirit…"

A circle was formed around the open coffin and the child's death was then mourned for hours. The feeling of sorrow was alive in a manner becoming the occasion. Jessica threw herself about shouting prayers, cries of despair, and pulling out her hair for the death of such a great person as was her only child.

After the mourning was complete, the coffin was placed into the ground where the grave was filled with dry soil, pieces of bark, and leaves so no fresh ground could be seen. In keeping with First Nations traditions, this was done to prevent animals from destroying the body and disrupting its search for eternal peace.

Jessica and Severus placed a marker of rocks and several boulders to mark the gravesite after everyone had left them. She leaned over and whispered the name she had given their son into his father's ear and Snape's black eyes welled up with tears in spite of the rain that stung them.

_**xxxOOOxxx**_

For the next three weeks, kettles of foodstuffs were carried to the grave and placed upon it every evening at dusk by Severus and Jessica. This was done until their son's soul found its eternal resting-place.

When the mourning process was complete, the name of their son would only ever be spoken under special circumstances. If the individual had a name of an animal or object, new words would be made so as to not mention the deceased's name; that had not been the case with their son – Jessica had taken great pains when she chose his name.

As was the way of her people, Jessica looked for guidance and power through dreams, visions, prayers, and ceremonies, and it was through this that she came to know when their son had truly 'gone home' to his 'final resting place'.

The time was now right for she and Severus to begin again.


	20. Come Undone

**Plot, new characters, new magical terms and abilities etc. are my intellectual property. If you want to borrow then please kindly ask. JK Rowling's characters and Wizarding Universe are all uniquely hers.**

**Summary: AU: What if everything we ever read in JK Rowling's books was real – including the people characterised? What would you do if you found yourself caught up in that reality knowing what was to come? SS, RL, OC **

**_Authors Note:_ _It has been mentioned in the story but now I am noting it here. I am a fan of Diana Gabaldon's 'Outlander'/'Cross Stitch' series and definitely was influenced by that in writing this story – i.e. the Standing Stones and traveling through time. But I also love Philip Pullman's 'His Dark Materials' series and the tv programme 'Sliders' and the alternate universes alongside ours idea comes from there no doubt._**

**Fantasy/Drama**

**This story is rated R/M.**

**ENIGMA**

**Chapter 020: Come Undone**

As difficult as beginning again was to contemplate, it was even more complicated to undertake. It was proving impossible for Jessica and Severus to make a fresh start. The couple did nothing but argue, that is when they even spoke to each other. The intimacy between them was no longer in evidence. They each condemned themselves for what had happened and there were unspoken recriminations about the other's behaviour that fateful night. The Headmaster had taken in Harvey once again, in the vain hope that two of the people that mattered most to him would be able to get past the tragedy that had torn them apart.

Instead things grew steadily worse. Severus had long aken to staying in his office most nights in the run up to final exams and Jessica barely saw him. They sat at opposite ends of the head table in the Great Hall at meals and neither spoke very much to the others present or to each other.

In the end it was Severus who approached Jessica to have the one discussion that would lay their conflict to rest. He went to the only place he knew where she would prove accessible.

'I don't see any point in carrying on under false pretenses,' he said tonelessly as he stared down at her, on the ground at their son's grave. She was on her side, and had reached out her free arm in an ethereal hug to hold the child she still loved.

'I have new lodgings in my House,' Snape continued. 'Under the circumstances it would be best if you vacated my old rooms. The Headmistress has suggested a private sorting ceremony for you at the start of the new term so that you can find a place within the established framework of Houses like the rest of us. As it's the start of the holidays you will need to make a decision about your home away from here. She and the Headmaster are prepared to assist you if need be.'

Jessica said nothing and just continued to stare at her son's grave.

'He doesn't even have a headstone,' she said hollowly at last. 'Those damned _'circumstances'_…'

'Jessica I will not….! This is difficult enough without you deliberately provoking yet another conflict!'

'You only bothered with me because it's what Dumbledore wanted! So go ahead – do whatever you want and blame me since it seems to make you feel better! You don't have an excuse to have to put up with me anymore!'

'It was a mistake,' Snape reasoned out loud. 'The whole situation was doomed right from the beginning. I wasn't thinking as I ought and neither was the Headmaster, regardless of his intentions.'

'Well – thank you once again for making yourself abundantly clear.' Jessica said as she rose and brushed the dirt off her clothes.

'_Is that all?' _Snape screamed in his mind.'_Is that all you have to say to me?'_

Jessica began to walk back to the school. She was taking the Hogwart's Express down to London with the students in a few days time and needed to finish her packing. It was amazing how much she had accumulated in such a short time.

Feeling Severus' eyes on her, Jessica half-turned.

'I promised Dumbledore that I would stand beside you all when the time comes. I don't need commentary from you; I know it's insane. The only thing that I will ask is that you don't work overtime to make me look stupid since you can do it so very well. I wish you… luck… Severus. I wish a lot of things for you – but most of all, I wish you luck. _May the spirits protect you no matter what happens_!'

The Potions Master swallowed but couldn't shift the lump in his throat as Jessica walked away from him and then disappeared from view.

As if on cue, a moment later the heavens opened up just as he sank to his knees and began to cry as he'd never done since he was a child and he lay on top of their son's grave.

**xxxOOOxxx**

'Where will you go?' Dumbledore asked Jessica sadly the day the students and Jessica were to depart for Londeon.

'I don't know just yet. I'll have to cross that bridge when I get to it.'

The aged wizard nodded defeatedly.

'You tried Professor… and so did I. I really did.'

'I know, Jessica; I know.'

'Besides, there's so many things I never got around to doing; I still haven't been to the British Library or Diagon Alley. I haven't been 'home' to see exactly what it is that I ran from in this world…'

'What you ran from? I wasn't under the impression that you were running from anything.'

'Ah, but that's just it you see: I give a very good impression of never running from anything. If was half the woman you believed me to be, half the woman you wanted me to be – I wouldn't be running away from what I couldn't change.'

'And what's that my dear?'

'The fact that no matter where I go and what I do, I always screw things up – and end up alone.'

A train whistle sounded in the difference.

'See you this fall, Professor. You have a good summer.'

Dumbledore's eyes glistened as he nodded faintly.

'You too, child. And remember, nothing happens that isn't meant to be.'

Jessica didn't answer as she took her leave.

'No,' he said out loud to himself as he stood at a window and watched her leave in a coach for Hogsmeade Station a few minutes later. 'Everything is as it should be, as difficult as that is to accept…'

He looked over at his Phoenix ruefully after the bird made a noise and flapped his wings at the Headmaster.

'_It's not for her to know, Fawkes. All she would do is fight against the inevitable.'_

**xxxOOOxxx**

Snape stood in the bedroom of his old quarters staring out the window as Jessica had a few words with Professor McGonagall. God only knew what she had to say about all this; but from the look on McGonagall's face he could tell that the Deputy Headmistress was very worried about her. And Jessica – well she didn't look particularly healthy…

He couldn't worry about it though… If he started thinking about her again he would lose control… and he must not allow that. Fools who wore their hearts on their sleeves were marked in the eyes of the Dark Lord… And he'd been a big enough fool already, hadn't he?

The Librarian was just about to pull off when Madam Pomfrey ran up to her coach and handed her something which Jessica put into her rucksack without opening it. He cursed himself for being too far away to hear what they were talking about. It certainly must be quite serious for Jessica to open the door and usher his Aunt in.

'Meddling old fool!' he hissed at her. 'Isnt it bad enough that you already told _her_!'

Just as he thought of _her_, a white fire blazed in the fireplace.

'No!' he bellowed before she could speak. 'No, no, NO!'

With several large strides he was at the fireplace tossing in a hefty dose of powder to send her away.

By the time he returned to the window, Jessica was gone.

**xxxOOOxxx**

Harry, Hermione and Ron were set laughing on the journey to London because of the noise from Ron's stomach.

'I could eat a bloody Hippogriff I'm so hungry,' he sighed through a yawn.

'Then you should have had breakfast instead of sleeping in,' Hermione sniffed bossily.

Just then there was another rumble.

'I could do with something myself,' Harry said as he rubbed his stomach. He opened his trunk and took out a small bag. It was all he had left of the money he'd taken from his wizarding bank account at the beginning of the school year.

'Oh honestly, Harry! You ate enough for three people and…'

'D'you want something Hermione?' Harry sighed exasperatedly.

Hermione may be one of his best friends, but it really got on his nerves when she thought she knew better than he and Ron did what they needed or should do for themselves.

He and Ron left their compartment only for Ron to be called down to the other end of the carriage by one his older brothers.

'I'll catch up with you in a bit,' Harry said as he started moving towards the door to the next carriage.

A few minutes later he found himself standing in the doorway to the café car.

'Miss Newkirk? What are you doing here?'

Jessica looked over at him and Harry was taken aback. She looked pale and drawn and there was an air of sadness about her that struck him as – strange.

'Don't know about you but I'm a big peckish…' she answered. 'So – what do you recommend?'

'The Cornish Pasties are lovely… The fruit punch is nice too.'

'Right – two pasties and a large fruit punch please. Oh – could I have two bars of chocolate as well?' Jessica asked the counter attendant.

'Make that double – I'll have what she's having…' Harry added.

There were so many questions Harry was bursting to ask her, but this wasn't the place for it he supposed. And they all probably were rather personal…

'Care to join me Harry?' Jessica asked as she took her bag of food and handed him his after paying for it all herself.

She wouldn't hear of taking any money from him and Harry put his moneybag in his pocket as he followed her to the first compartment of the carriage nearest the café car.

Jessica sat down wearily and eyeballed her impulsive purchase.

'My grandparents had an expression that comes to mind in situations like this,' she said as she frowned at her bag. 'My eyes are bigger than my belly…'

She set the bag of food to the side and instead sipped on her drink.

Harry felt stupid for asking but he really didn't have any choice.

'You were – um – pregnant… weren't you?'

'Mmm – this is nice. Excellent recommendation,' Jessica answered through another sip. 'Yes, yes I was…'

'And… the father was… _Snape_?' Harry spat.

'Yes, Harry. Severus and were involved for quite some time.'

'But why him of all people!'

Jessica laughed faintly and then smiled.

'Why not him, Mr. Potter?'

Harry knew he couldn't say what he thought and fell into a fuming silence.

'My son didn't make it. And neither did my relationship with his father.'

'I'm… sorry…' Harry replied softly as he took a seat next to Jessica.

'You see what you want to see, Harry. And you trust who you want to trust. It doesn't mean you have all the answers and it doesn't make you right.'

'I know him – you don't!'

'You keep telling yourself that Harry. I just hope it doesn't take something tragic to make you see that he's not the villain you make him out to be.'

'Then why aren't you with him? Why are you going to London!'

'I suppose…we just weren't meant for each other,' Jessica answered with glistening eyes.

She swallowed a bit more of her drink and then looked at Harry.

'I know that Professor Dumbledore spoke to you and Hermione about… _things_…'

'_Just enough to account for my presence and the situation at the moment,'_ she thought to herself. '_But not everything; you don't know just how famous you **really** are!'_

'I haven't spoken to anyone about this – not even Hermione,' Harry said looking up at Jessica. 'You know what she's like. She analyses things to death… and I was kind of hoping I might get to talk to you before the term ended…'

'There's nothing to analyse and nothing to fix OK? Dumbledore hasn't Obliviated you because he trusts you – and so do I. You leave well enough alone. There are some things you can't change and you shouldn't try to. And it's not for you to try and make sense of my private life. Things are what they are; and I rather think you have more important things to be getting on with, eh?'

'It's mad that you are such an incredible Seer, and that we still have to put up with that old fraud Trelawney!'

'Ah, but she does have the odd moment of insight… _doesn't she_…'

'Yeah, but still… the rest of the time she's a right old faker!'

'_It is true, Harry Potter,'_ Jessica answered in a spot-on imitation of the most useless teacher to ever set foot in Hogwarts besides Gilderoy Lockhart. _'I see it in through the fog of mystery that clouds my inner eye….'_

He and Jessica burst out laughing.

'Never you mind,' Jessica continued. 'Dumbledore always has a good reason for what he doesn't do as much as what he does. You just have to trust his judgment.'

'You mean like why he just won't get rid of that weirdo?'

'_Mmphm_ – indeed… I have a job to do and teaching Divination is not it. I'm sure that if the time should ever come where the Headmaster should need to find a replacement, he will get someone more qualified than either of us to do the job.'

'I don't see how he could find anyone who could be better than you…' Harry started.

'I think it's best to leave this discussion where it is, Harry. Too much is at risk, remember?'

'Yeah, I know. But am glad of one thing...'

'Oh, what's that?'

'That you didn't leave for good because of all this stuff with Snape.

'_Professor Snape_, Harry. I made a commitment to all of you and I intend to keep it, come what may.'

Harry and Jessica sat in silence for a few minutes.

'Miss Newkirk,' he asked tentatively. 'Will you be in London all summer?'

'I'm not sure to be honest. I haven't had time to give it much thought. Why?'

'Oh – nothing,' Harry said as he stood up. 'Forget I mentioned it…'

'Would you like me to come visit you?' Jessica asked gently.

'I would definitely, but my aunt and uncle wouldn't like it very much…'

'As long as you are not punished for it, then all the more reason for me to come and see you. I look normal enough, don't I?'

'They'll find something to be hacked off about so you might as well…'

'I know what it's like Harry; to be in living hell and to feel like there will never be any light at the end of the tunnel. And all I can say is that hopefully one day you'll be able to look back at this and realise just how far you've come. I know people who don't have half your strength in dealing with those kinds of demons. You're quite incredible actually – and very lucky to have your friends and people who do genuinely care about you. You're not alone anymore and you do matter – just remember that no matter what garbage they throw at you eh?

Jessica stood up and gave The Boy Who Lived a hug; a motherly sort of hug that he'd been missing his whole life.

'I'd really like it if you came to see me,' Harry said looking up at her.

'Wild Hippogriffs and all the gold in Gringotts wouldn't keep me away…'

**xxxOOOxxx**

When they arrived in at King's Cross Jessica waited until all of the students had disappeared through the magical barrier before disembarking herself. She had no reason to hide from anyone, but she felt a bit melancholy and didn't feel like putting on some grand act like everything was alright.

So much had happened in such a short space of time…

She started heaving her things off the train and found that her body still hurt. Just dealing with the first two trunks weakened her and she had to stop and catch her breath as sweat poured down her face and body.

'Are you alright Miss?' the café attendant asked her.

'I'm OK,' she muttered weakly.

'No – no you're not…' came a familiar voice.

Jessica looked up and found herself staring into the unremarkable eyes of Remus Lupin.

'What… what are you doing here?' she asked shakily.

But before the werewolf could answer she brought up her lunch and the healing potion she'd taken along with it. She'd have to take a double dose with her dinner to make up for it.

'Please – can you get the rest of her things while I see to her?' he asked the attendant.

'No problem at all – Hey Phil! Need your help here with the ladies trunks and things!'

The attendant and the driver set off for Jessica's compartment while Remus led Jessica to a bench and sat her down.

'Let me guess – Dumbledore…'

'No – he doesn't know I'm here actually.'

'But you knew I was coming – how?' Jessica said as Lupin conjured a cold cloth and wiped her face and neck.

'Hagrid – I ran into him in Diagon Alley a few days ago and he told me about what happened and that you'd be taking the train down today. I'm sorry, Jessica. I really am.'

'Everything happens for a reason…'

'You don't have to pretend, not with me.'

Jessica closed her eyes and leaned against him, unable to stop the tears that began to fall.

'Have you sorted out a place to live yet...?'

'No,' Jessica said as she started to cry. 'I just… I just wanted to get out of there!'

She broke down completely and Remus took her into his arms.

'Is she alright? We can fetch a Healer from St. Mungo's.' the driver asked.

'She's not been well. Doxy Flu. I just need to get her home is all…' Lupin replied.

The driver looked at the man closely for the first time; threadbare clothes and even more godforsaken shoes. There were house-elves that looked better in his estimation. The man was nothing better than an opportunist low-life…and yet he looked very familiar.

'Have we met before?' the man asked Lupin.

'_I should be grateful my reputation hasn't preceded me,'_ the werewolf muttered to Jessica

'I taught at Hogwarts this past year…' he said in answer to the man's question, knowing the reaction that he would get given his impoverished appearance.

'Ahh you were the bloke from the trip up; when we had that situation with the Dementors!'

'Exactly. Now if you don't mind, I'll see to it that Miss Newkirk gets home safely.'

The attendant grabbed the driver's arm and they set off for the trip back to Hogsmeade. Lupin heard the word _'werewolf'_ and then_ 'you're having me on!' _as the driver turned back around to look at him. '_I thought he had the look of 'em when I saw him last year…'_ was the last thing the werewolf and Jessica heard before the train pulled out of the station.

Lupin transfigured all of Jessica's things and put them in his pockets before helping her to her feet.

'You can stay with me until you figure out what it is that you want to do,' he said quietly.

'I'm nothing but trouble,' Jessica sniffed as she clung to him.

'You're anything but' Lupin answered before she passed out and they Disapparated with a loud CRACK.

**xxxOOOxxx**

When Jessica came to she was in bed and Remus was sat in a chair across from her. Wherever it was that he'd taken her, it sounded as though it was raining heavily outside.

'Remus?' she called out groggily.

'Thank goodness,' Lupin sighed. 'One more day and I definitely would have had to call in a healer from St. Mungo's.

'I feel like somebody's beaten me up with a sledgehammer… what day is it?'

'It's Wednesday – and it's about lunchtime. You're not well; what you need is complete rest with no work and no other distractions.'

Jessica started to protest as Remus sat down on the edge of the bed.

'Don't argue with me because it won't work. You need help, Jessica – now let me do that please.'

'You're lucky I'm so damn sick and tired,' Jessica mumbled as she yawned.

'You're lucky I'm such a nice guy,' Lupin said as he smiled.

'I don't deserve it…'

'Don't be so hard on yourself; you haven't done anything to not deserve it. I'm just me…nothing special. You need help and I'm happy to give it to you.'

'You're one in a million, Wolfie,' Jessica mumbled as she turned over.

Lupin was ready to curse himself as he felt himself go bright red. Fortunately Jessica didn't notice since she'd fallen right back asleep.

**xxxOOOxxx**

Several weeks later Jessica was finally well enough to finally take a bath on her own. She'd had to let go of any pretenses about protecting her modesty since she'd been unable to do anything for herself. Remus was such a Godsend – she really couldn't get over how lucky she was to have him looking after her.

'Remus – I'm done!' she called out after trying to get up by herself but not making it.

Her carer bounded up the stairs and then leaned down.

'OK. one… two… three… and up!' he said as he scooped her out of the tub, grabbed her towel and carried her to her bedroom.

Remus turned his back while she put on a pair of baggy red drawstring linen pants and a matching top with long sleeves.

'OK – all done…' Jessica sighed. 'Being sick is such a pain.'

Remus leaned down and picked her up in his arms. Both of them were slightly embarrassed as he crossed the threshold and she wrapped her arms around his neck.

He took her down to his sitting room and helped her get comfortable on the sofa.

'I'll just go sort out breakfast…'

'Remus, wait…please,' Jessica pleaded as she grabbed one of his hands. 'Please sit down and talk to me…'

'Is something wrong?'

'No; I just think it's about time we had an honest chat, don't you?'

'It's your business, Jessica. I don't have a right to pry into your personal life.' Lupin said as he sat.

Rather than remove his hand from Jessica's, he held onto hers. He couldn't get over how small and soft her hands were. She had such long fingers… Remus had always thought that Jessica had the most beautiful hands he'd seen on a woman.

'You left without saying good-bye; not even so much as a note. And I know that you just wanted to forget about me and Severus – and that was your way of dealing with it.'

'I was going to write to you; I just needed…time.'

Lupin began to stroke her hands.

'Time…just give me time…' Jessica said in a choked voice. 'I need to give you your space. Lord knows I've caused enough upset since I landed in your world…'

'You don't have to go,' Lupin said earnestly. 'We can manage… You don't need to waste money when I've got all this room…'

'What – no lectures about how you're too damn dangerous for me to be with you? No rants about how you think you have nothing to offer me?'

'I don't know what you're on about,' Lupin said as he gripped her hands tighter.

'You never gave me a chance, Remus. You don't give anyone a chance. You make up their mind for them and then convince yourself that what you believe is exactly what they would have done.'

'But I **am** dangerous! I **could** hurt you and…!'

'You know it's interesting you should say that. Because I know from all those damned books I ended up reading that when a werewolf chooses it's a done deal – you don't hurt the ones you choose so let's cut the crap right now! Once your kind chooses, there's no turning back for them. _What you're afraid of is what a woman would have to do to be with you and the life she'd have to lead._'

Remus dropped Jessica's hands as though they were on fire.

'No woman in her right mind would want that!'

'The Ministry has really done a job on your kind. The only way to know all the facts is to risk reading the things they don't want anyone to know about; things that could land me in Azkaban – or worse. They are willing to kill people for knowing even a fraction of what I've managed to find out. And with everything I know, if I really had a problem with you I wouldn't be here! And you wouldn't have come to King's Cross for anything less than the fact that you're holding out that somehow, someway we can come to some type of understanding since I no longer have any impediments to being with you. You can protest as the day is long, but don't try and convince me that every time you've had to bathe me, dress me, take care of me… that you weren't hoping for a lot more than us just being good friends!'

'Straight to the point as usual!'

'Time isn't necessarily on our side, Remus; and it's not in my nature to sweep things under the carpet or tip-toe around them!'

'I wouldn't know, Jessica. There are plenty of things I still don't know and yet other people do; me – one of the ones who has been there for you from the very beginning!'

'What do you want to know?'

'_Everything,'_ Lupin said hoarsely. 'Everything you've held back from me… Everything that you told _him_!'

'You weren't any more certain about me in the beginning than they were. But you're right; I couldn't have survived this long without you as much as any of them...and you are such a dear friend of the Headmaster's…'

Jessica leaned back, and then told Lupin as much as she dared.


	21. Learning to Fly

**Plot, new characters, new magical terms and abilities etc. are my intellectual property. If you want to borrow then please kindly ask. JK Rowling's characters and Wizarding Universe are all uniquely hers.**

**Summary: AU: What if everything we ever read in JK Rowling's books was real – including the people characterised? What would you do if you found yourself caught up in that reality knowing what was to come? SS, RL, OC **

**_Authors Note:_ _It has been mentioned in the story but now I am noting it here. I am a fan of Diana Gabaldon's 'Outlander'/'Cross Stitch' series and definitely was influenced by that in writing this story – i.e. the Standing Stones and traveling through time. But I also love Philip Pullman's 'His Dark Materials' series and the tv programme 'Sliders' and the alternate universes alongside ours idea comes from there no doubt._**

**Fantasy/Drama**

**This story is rated R/M.**

**ENIGMA**

**Chapter 021: Learning to Fly**

For the first time since she'd unloaded her burdens to Dumbledore, Jessica felt relieved as she talked to Remus several days later when they returned home from an after-dinner stroll. Perhaps it was because she knew that despite everything, Remus Lupin didn't struggle with his feelings for her; he struggled because of what he was. He and Severus had more in common than they would ever want to believe, feelings notwithstanding. She could see it clearly but there was no way that either of them ever would, not that it would ever matter.

'I understand now why Albus thought it best for you to keep silent, although I don't understand why all the secrecy with me,' Lupin said uneasily as they took a seat on the sofa in his sitting room. 'As it is, I have no doubt that you have withheld some details from me, probably for my own good. I have to say I agree with that practice in principal.'

'Hindsight is twenty-twenty. This is why you should always be careful what you ask for.'

'It's not quite the same thing when my heart is involved. It hasn't been easy for me, please understand that.'

'Why are you talking about this… and why now?'

'Because I've been worried sick about you ever since I talked to Hagrid; if circumstances were different I would have gone to Hogwarts. And now that I know about all of_ that_… I just... Things could have been so much different for you if we…if I… If I hadn't had my head so far up my own arse. I'm doing this because it's important to you and you mean that much to me Jessica.'

'You do have more important things to be concerned about than this nonsense that I put you through,' Jessica said quietly. 'So – what do you do exactly, to get around not having wolfsbane?'

Lupin froze.

'Remus – is something wrong?'

'Oh God – I completely forgot…!'

'Forgot? Forgot what?'

'Tonight… _it's the Full Moon!_'

'Oh for God's sake! I don't believe you, Remus…!'

'You can believe me alright! Look!' the werewolf shouted after getting up and pointing to the lunar clock on a far wall.

'Yes – I am well aware of that clock, thank you. What I meant was; this isn't the first time you've forgotten your responsibility and it probably won't be the last.'

'Thanks for reminding me…' Lupin grumbled as he ran a hand through his shaggy hair.

'What do you normally do Remus?'

'What?'

'If I wasn't here – what would you do? How would you handle it?'

'Take myself deep into the woods until sunrise tomorrow and I'm myself again; otherwise I wouldn't have a house. Then I come back here and cope with recovery for the next few days, such as it is.'

'And the worry about me is… _what_, exactly? That I can't boil water if you're not able to do it for me?'

Lupin looked at Jessica wearily. 'It's not that simple Jess – you know it's not.'

'No Remus, I don't know! I have an idea or two maybe but I don't know and neither do you! At the moment you're making a huge assumption that somehow you'll hurt me! You certainly can't do anymore damage than I've already done to myself.'

Jessica got up and walked over to him as he stood looking out one of the large windows at the overcast sky. She put her arms around him and kissed his back.

Remus looked over his shoulder and was overtaken by a wave of sadness. He leaned forward and pressed his forehead against the warm glass, there was a faint shiver as Jessica's hand stroked his belly and abdomen. He swallowed as he felt the erection he'd had all night lengthen and thicken. It was always like this around the Full Moon and immediately after. He could be half dead and still there would be this insatiable need to shag.

'Jess – don't!' he whispered, though he did nothing to disentangle himself.

'It doesn't really matter now, does it?' she whispered before kissing his back again and resting against him. She knew as well as he did what had to happen now because she was here. 'I won't deny I don't really want to know _that _way…'

The werewolf turned around and looked down at her. He touched her face and ran a hand through her hair. If only he didn't have to… How could they ever recover from this?

'We can't change it, Remus…' Jessica murmured as two fingers stroked their way through his curly carpet of chest hair that was showing.

She'd always been so curious about him… too curious for her own damned good. '_A hardcore fangirl would have gotten him into bed by now if she thought he'd be up for it'_, Jessica thought to herself. She was testing the waters to be sure, because she at least knew that he felt something for her. It flattered her bruised ego as much as it did his. They were both testing each other no matter what protestations would be made to the contrary.

'No, we can't…' Lupin said quietly as he pulled her closer.

Jessica was struck by the intensity of his eyes. They were a vivid shade of blue now given his obvious arousal.

He leaned down and kissed her. There was no light brushing of lips, no hesitancy. The werewolf took control of her mouth and then worked his way down to her neck. He was marking her as he pushed her back down on the sofa. He ravaged her mouth, neck and breasts and pushed off her baggy pants before moving between her legs. Time seemed to stop for the two of him as he marked his territory kissing and grinding hard against her – and with her implicit consent since she made no move to extricate herself. But it was the night of the Full Moon – and she didn't dare. The werewolf inside him could do a lot of damage once he was inside her.

There was a sudden hard thrust that took Jessica's breath away. Lupin eyes flashed werewolf gold and it scared Jessica to death to see it. She called out Remus' name but he didn't really hear her as he thrust hard. He held on tightly to the sofa as he lost control. Jessica couldn't have conceived of the growls and yips as the werewolf expressed his pleasure. After a half hour he was ready to climax, she could tell because he'd swelled inside her and they were impaled together. Over and over he orgasmed, growling heavily as he did so.

When the last shudder of his body died down, Lupin pulled himself up slowly. His lips felt swollen and bruised and it was painful to pull out. The room smelled like sex – but really it was his werewolf senses; they were on overdrive because of the impending full moon. Jessica would be protected; that was the important thing. He could beat himself up about it in a few days when he had a clear head. He'd heard about such things when he was younger – but never really wanted to believe that this could be a part of who he was. The more he'd gotten to know Jessica, the more things began to change.

Lupin wasn't entirely sure how he felt about what was happening to him even if was because of someone he wanted to be with for more than one night.

The werewolf leaned down and began to lick her.

Jessica observed Lupin with morbid fascination; she was beginning to separate the wheat from the chaff from the reading she'd done. The werewolf in him dictated even the most basic of instincts and impulses. _'To deny your impulses is to deny being human'_ a famous line from a famous series of films from back home. Creepy Mr. Chips wasn't really there at the moment; his impulses made him someone else… someone she really didn't know. Jessica was seeing a part of Lupin that he'd kept hidden even from himself most likely. And he was exercising restraint – considerable restraint given what had just happen.

'I'll see you in the morning,' Lupin said tensely, looking away from her.

Tonight being a Full Moon and Jessica being there had changed everything. He just didn't know how to deal with this latent part of his werewolf nature. It was one thing to know of it in the abstract, it was another to be faced with it and after all these years.

'Yes – you certainly will. I'll be right here waiting for you,' Jessica said firmly.

'Why are you doing this?' Lupin whispered as he put a hand on hers.

'Everything happens for a reason, Wolfie,' Jessica answered slowly as she silently cursed Dumbledore.

'If it wasn't for your books you wouldn't…'

'Do you want me to leave tonight?'

Jessica tried not to look at the fearsome erection that very much in evidence as Lupin stood up.

The werewolf could sense how much she wanted him as she stood there with her shirt undone. It was the only thing that gave her some semblance of modesty. Her skin was flushed and moist; her breasts were swollen and her nipples engorged. She was ready to have him again. He'd always known when she was ready and how much she wanted him – _he could smell it_. Even through her clothes, sitting together over a coffee in Hogsmeade on a rainy day, _he could smell_ _her wanting him_. That was something that had never made any sense to him; how she could want him the way that she did and maybe even have feelings for him, but the compulsions that drove her were for someone else, someone extremely unpleasant who couldn't appreciate a good woman like her.

'If you stay, let it be because it's **me** that you chose – and not because you are running from _him_,' Lupin said firmly as she stood and faced him.

'But I am running, Remus. We both know that. I've spent my whole life running – just like you.'

The moon began to show itself and the werewolf took one last look at her before running off into the night.

**xxxOOOxxx**

Jessica was true to her word. When Lupin finally returned home, she was wide awake waiting for him. He felt badly for thinking that she would change her mind and take the chance to leave while he was gone.

He groaned as he dragged himself towards his front door and Jessica ran out to help him. Had she not been there he would have spent the first day on the sofa, unable to move and eventually covered in his own messes. She got him up the stairs and managed to clean him off. He clenched his teeth through the agony of being touched, but he was grateful. He was so, so grateful that she was there to take care of him.

The Librarian seemed to have an instinct for what was needed. She did as much as she could and kept Lupin clean. He slept mostly, but Jessica would come and wake him long enough to get some nourishment in him. He slipped in and out of consciousness for three days. On the fifth day following the Full Moon he came down stairs and found her hanging laundry out back. She'd obviously kept herself busy from the looks of things; the house was immaculate.

'Hey,' Jessica said softly as he walked over to her.

'Hey yourself,' he said squinting in the light of the sun.

'What do you want for dinner?'

Lupin didn't reply as he stared at her.

'Is something wrong?' Jessica asked, as she touched her hair and then looked down at her clothes.

'No… nothing's wrong,' he whispered as he took her into his arms and buried his face in her neck.

Jessica held him tight as she rubbed his back.

'Everything's fine… honestly…' she murmured.

'Thank you,' the werewolf said thickly as he held onto her.

For the first time in his life since he'd been bitten, Remus Lupin was wondering if maybe there was some hope for him after all.

**xxxOOOxxx**

'I need to pay someone a visit,' Jessica said several days later as she ironed a pair of jeans in the kitchen. 'I could use your help getting there…'

Lupin felt a knot rising in his throat as he looked up from his Daily Prophet. Whatever he said was going to come out wrong. Things were ok between them and he really didn't want to fight with her. But he was entitled to not be happy that she was going to go see _him _after everything _he_ had put her through.

He continued to eyeball the blur in front of his eyes. Suddenly his paper was taken from him and put on the kitchen table.

'I promised,' Jessica said as she sat down across from him. 'I promised him I'd go see him. He's probably desperate for a kind face; doesn't really have anyone to…'

'Surely Severus could arrange something in the way of a portkey for you.'

'I'm talking about Harry actually, Harry Potter!'

'Oh…right…'

'Nevermind. Forget it!' Jessica huffed after turning off the iron and setting it on the cooker to cool off.

Lupin heard her stomp up the stairs and the sound of her bedroom door slamming.

'Damn it,' he sore under his breath as he took to the stairs two at a time.

'I'm sorry,' he called through the door having reached it faintly winded. 'Jessica please talk to me.'

Lupin tried to open it and found that she hadn't locked it at all. He walked in and sat on the bed looking down at her.

'I jumped to the wrong conclusion.'

'You think the first chance I get I'm just going to crawling back to him!'

'If he was willing to talk to you – you would hear him out, you know you would. And if he offered to take him back you wouldn't turn him down.'

'I'll cross that bridge when I get back to Hogwarts.'

'So you are going back,' Lupin said quietly.

'There's no way I'm not going back, Remus. It's the only living I have and it's not a bad one. Besides, Dumbledore will be expecting me.'

'It's just well that we haven't been that intimate then, isn't it?'

'If you're expecting happily ever after – then I guess so…'

Lupin looked at Jessica incredulously.

'You let me… – and yet you've already made up your mind that nothing else can happen between us?'

'I don't believe in happily ever after, not anymore. Sooner or later something goes wrong. I'm not meant to be Suzi Homemaker with the perfect life, the perfect man and 2.4 kids. I'm not jut a hopeless romantic, I'm just plain hopeless romantically – and we both know I didn't really have a choice since I was here that night, now did I…'

'Don't you think you're exaggerating just a bit? You can't judge anything on the basis of what happened with him!'

'It's not me that needs convincing, Remus. It's you. If someone is really worth it then you take the risk to let them know what they mean to you. Not giving someone you care about the chance to make their own choices isn't good for either of you…'

'This isn't one of your stories, Jessica! _This is my life!_ MINE!'

'It's not as black and white to me as it always is to you; it's complicated because people and feelings are complicated. And it still comes down to choices. You never gave me the opportunity to choose Remus. You never gave me a chance to see just how real my feelings are – and despite everything you've said and what's happened since I've been here, you haven't given yourself a chance either. I had a hard time trusting you as much as you did me in the beginning. And over time I knew what you felt and I think even Dumbledore knew. But you were keeping quiet, so no one said anything about it, until now. Severus was open – or at least he seemed to be – he was open enough for him at least. And before you come up with some kind of justification to really make me feel like shit – what I feel for you isn't the same. You aren't Severus and he's not you. You're right, this isn't one of my stories and this is your life. But it's not just about you, Remus. _It's never just about you._'

'If he really loved you,' Lupin replied hoarsely, 'he wouldn't have turned his back on you!'

'But you walked out on me too, Remus…and more than once. You gave up on me. Stop throwing your issues back on me and Severus. '

'_I had to_!'

They sat in an uncomfortable silence.

'Deep down you don't have much faith in me. Neither did he; the whole time we were together he blew hot and cold and in the end he was always having to convince himself that being with me was OK. The fact that he had to talk himself into it probably explains why I'm not with him, so it stands to reason that I shouldn't be with you either since you keep going around the houses about this.'

'You may only just be curious about me and I may be a welcome distraction… But you said it yourself Jessica, you haven't been parted from Severus that long.'

'You got me there…'

There was an uneasy silence as Lupin got up to go downstairs.

'I don't want this to be a rebound,' he said standing in the doorway, but not looking at her.

'So – I should get myself a boyfriend for the summer and then get back to you once I'm at school, is that it?'

'No – of course not.'

'Then I should get my own place now eh?'

'It's what you were intending to do, your illness notwithstanding.'

'Fine – I'll sort something out by the end of the week… at least then I can let Dumbledore know where I am and that I'm alright. I still haven't responded to all those bloody owls of his…'

'_Is there anything else that's happened that you haven't mentioned in all this time?'_

'No...'

'And you never mentioned this because…?'

'I didn't see that you really needed to be bothered about it. _It's not a big deal_.'

'I think you just answered your own questions, Jessica.'

Lupin went downstairs and a few moments later she heard the front door open and close.

'No – we both did…' she whispered.

**xxxOOOxxx**

It had turned out that Lupin lived in the West Country, not too far from Bath on the edge of the Avon Valley, and in the same house that his parents bought after he received the bite. The property was surrounded by a vast acreage on all sides; it had proven a godsend over the years.

The Senior Lupins were still alive and lived in Bradford-Upon-Avon; a reasonable distance. She knew that they despaired about the life their son had to lead and the fact that he wouldn't let them help him. It wouldn't do to be dependent on them, he'd told her. And at least he had magic to help him survive. Fortunately he was able to grow vegetables and there were apple and cherry trees.

Remus actually got by better than he was given credit for,' she'd thought.

He definitely did better than the impression he gave to people.

This Remus Lupin was certainly proved to be a man of startling contradictions once she started living with him. But at least he was doing his usual and being reasonable about how things were not going between them; just as he'd always done.

What happened the night of the Full Moon may as well have just been a figment of their imaginations.

**xxxOOOxxx**

Jessica was as good as her word.

By the end of the week she'd found a large maisonette at the top of a period building on one of the cherished hills on the edge of Bath's city centre. She loved this city – it was as beautiful in this world as it was in her own. In her world she could have never afforded a place down here any more than she could London, but once again it seemed that the real estate boom that was the bane of the average British resident wanting a home in her world just didn't exist.

There was something to be said for having her own space once she had moved all her things in. She took more time that she anticipated tarting the place up to make it a real home away from Hogwarts. She hadn't been there two days before Dumbledore's owls managed to find her yet again. With nothing to really distract her, she sat down and wrote him a little note that spiraled into a long letter. And so it proved every time she wrote to him.

Jessica had never known her father and her grandparents hadn't spoken of him. But if she'd had one, Albus Dumbledore wouldn't have been a bad one to have. Like all fathers he could be frustrating, but also like fathers – especially those with daughters – he could be overprotective. She was learning a lot about the Headmaster and his own life away from the school, much more than she ever could have dreamed. She wondered how many other people knew.

But it did strike her now as much as it had with the books: why was it that owls could find missing people, even those on the run from the Ministry of Magic – and yet wizards and witches couldn't, not even Ministry officials. Why didn't they just cast a spell on the owls?

Sometimes the world of Harry Potter was like an old Keystone Cops film.

**xxxOOOxxx**

Two weeks after she'd moved into her new flat, Jessica decided it was time to see Harry. She hadn't meant to leave it this long, but it couldn't be helped. Fortunately the train fares were also more affordable for her and so she decided to go see Harry the old-fashioned Muggle way and use British Rail.

It was so strange; British Rail had been sold off by the Tories under Margaret Thatcher in Jessica's world but not here…

The 'Iron Lady' was still in office and still holding strong, sparing the world from the disaster that had been John Major, although many were baying for her blood now and it looked like Labour could do very well eventually… With John Prescott at the helm no less.

'_Remus was right about one thing,'_ she'd thought as her connecting train hurtled into deepest Surrey: '_it wouldn't do to be dependent on anyone_.'

**xxxOOOxxx**

Jessica found that the trains were very efficient, not to mention fast. Unlike her world, British transport here was on par with the Continent from what she'd gleaned from Muggle newspapers. In no time at all she was walking towards Privet Drive from the Little Whinging railway station. It wasn't terribly far and it was a rather nice day out given all the rain they'd had so far.

'I need to be as clear-headed as possible for this…' she muttered to herself as her mind ran over all that she knew of the Dursleys from fiction. Given the comments Harry had made here and there, it seemed Jo Rowling may have even toned down just how abused he really was. God she hated them with a passion that bordered on hysteria. Just the idea of them made her skin crawl.

Jessica looked down at her map and then turned left. Up ahead should be Privet Drive. She stopped once more to have a drink of water from the bottle of Pevian that had with her. Her stomach was in knots and she just needed to settle it a bit. Undaunted, she continued on, oblivious to the fact that she was being followed.

**xxxOOOxxx**

The Librian looked around the cul-de-sac that was Privet Drive. There were nothing but sterile identikit houses, one indistinguishable from the next save for their lawns and the cars parked in the driveways. A typical bland British Estate, modeled on a concept that started with America. She'd rather slit her throat than to live in such a stale, overwhelmingly brown place.

She wiped her face a bit with a handkerchief that she'd forgotten was in her stylish leather rucksack. She glanced at the monogrammed intertwined double S and then sniffed faintly. Even after all these months, she could still smell the scent that was uniquely Severus'. Her eyes began to well up and she admonished herself to stop as she put it in a front pocket of her jeans.

For some unknown reason, that handkerchief was a great source of strength to her as she walked up the pathway to the Dursley's front door, still unaware that she was being watched.

**xxxOOOxxx**

_RING!! RING!!!_

Jessica glanced at the unimaginative flowerbeds under the large window facing the street after ringing the bell to Number Four Privet Drive. A rather horse-faced sliver of a woman peered out of the staid net curtains and frowned at seeing a stranger coming to call.

The Librarian steeled herself as the woman opened the door a bit and eyeballed her suspiciously. Inwardly Jessica smiled. Her weathered jeans fit her like a glove. They had been pressed along with the white t-shirt she was wearing. She'd put on a off-white linen jacket and a pair of comfortable slingback sandals. She wore her long hair loose and it's sun-streaked waves shone.

'Yes?' the woman barked unpleasantly.

'Hello, you must be Mrs. Dursley. I'm Jessica Newkirk,' Jessica said extending her hand.

She knew exactly what the older woman was thinking – lord knows she'd come across her sort too many times.

'I'm here to see Harry,' the Librarian added firmly.

'Harry?'

'Yes – Harry Potter.'

'What do you want with him?'

'As I said, I'm here to see him. May I come in please,' Jessica said placing a foot on the doorstep.

'Who are you!'

'I work at Hogwarts; I'm the Director of Library Services as of this Fall thanks to a new promotion…'

The bony woman narrowed her eyes as she looked Jessica up and down once more.

'_Say it you bitch! Say it and I'll kick your flat arse into next year wand or no fucking wand,'_ the Librarian thought to herself.

'If it's inconvenient perhaps I should come back some other time with the Headmaster…' Jessica said lightly.

'Petunia!' came a bark from the sitting room. 'Who's at the ruddy door?'

A rather portly, dumpy looking man budged up behind Mrs. Dursley and opened the door wide so he could get a good look at the woman he'd been checking out from the relative anonymity of the net curtains.

'She's from that place!' Petunia hissed.

'Eh?'

'I don't mean to take up too much of your time. I'm from Harry's school. I'd like to see him if that's alright?

Not accustomed to encountering one of _'Harry's kind' _that looked normal and didn't talk a load of rubbish, the Dursley's weren't sure what to think about letting Jessica into their home.

'Or you can send him down to me and he can accompany me to Bluewater. I'll have him back in time for dinner…'

'Bluewater?' Petunia said, standing up straight. 'What would you know about a shopping mall!'

'We like clothes too, Mrs. Dursley,' Jessica said as she opened her jacket and gave them both a good look at what her leering letch of a husband would never have.

'How do we know you are who you say you are?' Petunia sniffed.

'You can ask Harry for a start.'

'Vernon – go get the boy!'

Jessica restrained a smirk. Wives weren't that mistrustful of their husbands unless they had a reason to be – so far the woman didn't seem to have any redeeming qualities that would justify anyone putting up with her. And the same could be said of her husband.

After a moment or two Jessica listened to what could only be Harry stomping down the stairs.

'You know her?' Petunia snapped as she pushed The Boy Who Lived Forward.

'Of course I do. It's Miss Newkirk from school,' Harry answered through gritted teeth.

'I was thinking you might like to join me at Bluewater; that is if your relatives are inconvenienced by me talking to you here…' Jessica said, addressing him directly.

'What's a teacher want with a student when school isn't even in session – and at a ruddy shopping mall?' Vernon spat.

'The Headmaster will be asking you questions when he comes to see you if I don't have anything to tell him because you won't have me in.'

Petunia visibly blanched at the mention of Dumbledore.

'The boy is fine – aren't you boy!' Vernon said through clenched teeth.

Jessica unconsciously gripped the wand Dumbledore had given her, hidden in the pocket of her jacket. He'd said she should get in the habit of having it and she'd made it a practice to do just that even though it seemed pointless. Her hand stung for a moment and she absent-mindedly wiped it in her pocket.

She stared down the obnoxious couple. Just the idea of Harry possibly having one good day and being away from them was enough for them to make his life hell. She could see it as clearly as she could see the dandruff in Vernon Dursley's hair. Why couldn't they just leave him be until the Weasley's showed up to take him to the Quidditch World Cup?

Jessica felt a chill go up her spine just as she finished the thought.

'Better to have her take him than have him underfoot all day!' Petunia snapped as she pushed Harry outside, causing him to fall.

Jessica moved fast, and caught him in her arms before he could hit the ground.

'Come on Harry, no point in hanging around,' Jessica said as she looked at his aunt and uncle.

The door closed in their faces.

'Miss Newkirk I…' Harry began only to be silenced by a nod from Jessica.

She guided him to the end of the street, knowing that two sets of eyes were on them every step of the way, with the exception of the Squib who lived across the street and who'd been babysat Harry all his life. He didn't know it just yet; but time would tell if that was as true in this world as it was in fiction.

Only when they had turned the corner did Jessica and Harry begin to talk. They walked in tandem, her arm around his bony shoulders as they headed for the railway station, shadowed every step of the way.

**xxxOOOxxx**

"Those clothes are horrible," Jessica said as they walked through Europe's biggest shopping mall. In her world it was the third largest and located in the county of Kent. In this world it was not only the largest, it was located in Surrey, not far from Little Whinging.

"They're Dudley's" Harry said bitterly.

Jessica spotted a store in the distance, and smiled as she recognised a peculiar variation of The Gap.

'Come on – time to shop 'till we drop!" she said enthusiastically.

'Time to…? Look, it was nice of you to get out of the house but…'

'You've not had much kindness in your life, Harry. You've never had people that would stand up to your Aunt and Uncle. I'm not afraid of them and I'll make myself bloody well clear on that front when I take you home tonight!'

Harry looked up at Jessica in amazement.

'Now come on – let's hit the racks,' Jessica said as she steered him into the shop.

Harry looked around, feeling embarrassed by what he already wearing. People were giving him funny looks. It was one thing when he was roaming around Little Whinging, it was another when it was a big, fancy place like this.

'They've never taken you anywhere – have they?' Jessica asked, interrupting his thoughts.

'No – only when they couldn't Miss Figg to look after me,' Harry said sullenly. "I always have to sit in the car.

'Mmm – well then we better get you into some things that you can wear out of here,'

'I'll pay you back Miss. I have money my parents left me and…'

'You'll do no such thing. I don't ask it and it's not required. And my name is Jessica; Miss Newkirk makes me feel so damn old.'

Jessica looked faintly hurt and so Harry fell silent. He spent a good twenty minutes alone just walking around, touching the different fabrics. Jessica would point things out to him, but he was still in such a state of disbelief he wouldn't pick up anything. When the Librarian noticed him lingering longer over certain garments, she picked them up. She was far more practical and also picked up underwear, knowing that whatever he had was as likely to be unsuitable as the other clothes he was wearing.

'Right – I think this is a decent start. Plenty of other shops to go to so let's not spend it all in one place, eh? Jessica said as she steered Harry towards the Fitting Rooms.

Harry tried things on and became more enthusiastic when he saw how decent and normal he looked for a change. They left the shop with him wearing brand new jeans that fit much better than anything of his cousin Dudley's tatty old hand-me-downs along with a new short-sleeved shirt and underwear. The old rags that he'd been forced to wear were thrown out.

'They won't give you a hard time; I'll see to it,' Jessica said darkly.

They went into a trainers shop and Harry walked out with a new pair on and another bag to take back to the Dursley's.

Over the next few hours they bought more clothes, some books and a small radio for his room. Jessica also treated him to a nice lunch at Pizzeria Express. It was his first time ever having something so nice away from his relatives, his forays to the Weasleys and the wizarding world notwithstanding.

After lunch they went to more shops. By the time they were finished for the day, they hadn't even seen a quarter of the mall. But it was the best day that Harry could ever remember having during the summer, with the exception of the time Ron and his brothers came to fetch him in a Muggle Car that their father had bewitched to fly.

Jessica couldn't help but to roar with laughter as Harry told her the story on the train back to Little Whinging, even though she already knew some of the details. There were so many other things that had happened on that fateful journey to Hogwarts in Harry's Second Year, things she couldn't have dreamt of that she would have paid double to see in the films.

"That cinema looked great,' Harry enthused as they slowly walked back to his Aunt and Uncle's house.

'We'll have to go back sometime, take in a couple of films,' Jessica said firmly.

'Oh, I didn't mean that you had to take me.'

'I know…' Jessica sighed as she was confronted once again with the ugliness that was Privet Drive.

Being summer it was still very light out and it didn't feel right for Harry to have to go back to them. But he needed to go back. He had to, because of the Quidditch World Cup. She had spoken to Dumbledore about it. Arthur Weasley was slated as one of the members of his department at the Ministry to get complimentary tickets. He and Molly, his wife, would be contacting Harry about staying with them and attending one of the wizarding world's most prestigious events.

When they reached the door of number four, Harry let himself in and Jessica with him. He led her into the sitting room where he knew his Aunt and Uncle would be along with his pig of a cousin.

'Just what do you think you're…' Uncle Vernon began – until he saw the wand in Jessica's hand.

'I think we should have a little chat while I'm here – and before I go upstairs with Harry to review a few things he needs for the new term.'

Petunia made a strange noise and Dudley backed up from the television, his fat piggy hands trying desperately to cover the grotesque flank that was his backside. The Dursley's piggy eyes never left Jessica's wand as fingered it while she talked. To get one point across she gave it a wave and there were shrieks all round.

Harry bit his lip to keep from pissing himself laughing.

'I'm going to say this once and I don't expect that I will have to say it again,' Jessica said menacingly. 'You lay one hand on this boy, you touch one hair on his head and _I will make you sorry you were ever born_. His things belong to him. You will not touch them nor will you deny him access to them! That monstrosity you claim as your own will not touch them either! And one more thing – he isn't a bloody servant and you will stop treating him like one with immediate effect!'

Jessica jabbed her wand and the television blew up.

'_Holy Shit,'_ she heard Harry mutter as he stood next to her.

'_Accidents happen,'_ the Librarian sneered as the stereo went the same way as the television

Dudley burst into tears and ran screaming up to his room to hide. Harry was crossing his legs now. If Miss Newkirk didn't stop he really was going to use the sitting room as his personal toilet.

Inwardly Jessica was shaking. _'Dumbledore… what the hell is he doing? He should have warned me,'_ she thought to herself.

But even she knew that idle threats weren't enough with these people, and her accidental magical tantrum certainly drove the point home.

It was alright because it was her and not Harry. They had no idea that she wasn't a witch and neither she nor Harry would volunteer that information.

'Have I made myself clear?' she demanded. 'You take one step out of line, any of you, and we solve your problems the wizarding way – permanently!'

Vernon Dursley had turned five shades of colour from bright pink to purple in the last ten minutes. Petunia's anorexic frame shook violently as she struggled to not wet herself.

'Right,' Jessica said lightly. 'Harry show me your room before I go please…'

They picked up all the shopping bags and Jessica followed Harry up the stairs, a devilish grin on her face.

**xxxOOOxxx**

Jessica frowned as she looked around the grim room.

'Here,' she said pulling a large bag from her rucksack. 'I thought you might like these, to decorate your room with…'

There were poster books of travel destinations around the world. Harry had told her once that he would like to see the world someday, and experience something completely different to the life he'd known. One of the books was a souvenir from Bath, which was a World Heritage City even in this world.

'You live here?' Harry gasped, forgetting to ask Jessica about the magic she appeared to have executed.

'Mmm hmm – I'll have a word with the Headmaster. I did at least talk to him before asking you if you wanted me to come…' Jessica answered as she began pinning posters to the wall. 'If I hadn't managed to talk to you on the train, I would have still come anyway…'

After ten minutes she and Harry stepped back and admired her handiwork.

'It looks a hundred times better already,' Harry beamed.

'Good…' Jessica said leaning over his desk.

Harry watched as she scribbled something on a bit of parchment.

'That's my address, phone number and the mobile number. You need anything, get a hold of me. If it gets too bad, take the Knight Bus… just have it drop you in the park by the Royal Crescent; I'm not too far from there.'

It had always irked her that in fiction all Harry needed to do was to return to the place where his last remaining relatives were every summer. He didn't need to stay the full summer. But that was fiction and this was real life (so to speak). She could make a difference and she would, if it was possible.

'Keep that mobile hidden Harry – I don't trust them as far as I can spit,' she added sharply.

Harry showed Jessica the loose floorboard under his bed. It was a decent enough space for him to hide food in. He added the mobile to it.

'Having to hide food…' Jessica muttered. 'A bloody disgrace!'

'Please Miss, you've done enough already. I think my food situation will improve a bit.'

'It better!' Jessica snapped.

'Remind me to never piss you off,' Harry laughed.

'Oh – I'm sure you'll get in check quick enough if you know what's good for you!' Jessica smirked.

'_And I daresay I will certainly have to if things play out as they seem to be,'_ she said to herself silently as she thought about CAPSLOCK Harry in his Fifth Year from the novels.

They went over his homework and then twenty minutes later, Harry showed Jessica to the door.

Petunia had ordered Dudley to set the table and was now fighting with him because he refused to do it.

'I don't know how I'll ever be able to thank you,' Harry said quietly.

'You're a good lad, Harry. You deserve a lot better – and you certainly shouldn't be left to deal with this on your own. I'm the one you told, and I thank you for trusting me enough to do that.'

'I never thought you'd actually do something. I just… you know…'

'Yes, I do actually.'

Vernon Dursley waddled into the dining room and within seconds all three Dursleys were shouting. Petunia decided the Dursleys would go out to eat as soon as that _freak_ left so that her Dudders could calm down. Potter would be fine on his own for a change.

'You don't need her dinner anyway…' Jessica sniffed.

'Not with the pizza and stuff you got me,' Harry replied gratefully. 'I'll be fine now.'

It felt awkward having to say good bye after such a great day. And really, he just didn't want her to go.

'Try and have a decent rest of the summer,' Jessica said turning away.

'POTTER!' Vernon yelled. 'CLOSE THE RUDDY DOOR AND GET UP TO YOUR ROOM, NOW!"

Jessica looked like she was ready to square up to his uncle and aunt again and Harry shook his head 'no'.

'Fine – you just remember what we talked about. Don't be embarrassed to tell me you need my help or a place to stay, Harry.'

Jessica stepped outside and walked slowly up the street.

'POTTER!' she heard Petunia yell. 'DO AS YOUR UNCLE SAYS AND…'

Harry waved to her one last time, and then he disappeared from view behind the closed front door.

It would take her a couple of hours to get home, but it was well worth it to know that Harry would be OK enough for the time being.

She walked to the train station, turning over the day's events in her head, still unaware of what lurked in the shadows.


	22. People Are People

**Plot, new characters, new magical terms and abilities etc. are my intellectual property. If you want to borrow then please kindly ask. JK Rowling's characters and Wizarding Universe are all uniquely hers.**

**Summary: AU: What if everything we ever read in JK Rowling's books was real – including the people characterised? What would you do if you found yourself caught up in that reality knowing what was to come? SS, RL, OC **

**_Authors Note:_ _It has been mentioned in the story but now I am noting it here. I am a fan of Diana Gabaldon's 'Outlander'/'Cross Stitch' series and definitely was influenced by that in writing this story – i.e. the Standing Stones and traveling through time. But I also love Philip Pullman's 'His Dark Materials' series and the tv programme 'Sliders' and the alternate universes alongside ours idea comes from there no doubt._**

**Fantasy/Drama**

**This story is rated R/M.**

**ENIGMA**

**Chapter 022: People are People**

Jessica hadn't seen Remus since she moved out of his house. True to form, he continued to be the good guy – and the easiest way for him to do that was to avoid her. Something she had always instinctively felt about him was confirmed: he was never going to be a man who could make her happy in the way that she needed him to. His continual avoidance of issues would only create problems were they to get deeply involved.

He'd said something once, all those weeks ago. In a rare moment of what appeared on the surface to be absolute unguardedness he'd murmured _'Just once I'd like to know what it's like to be with a woman who really loves me.'_ It was one of the last things he'd said to her, ironically enough. Once again, Remus had avoided the real issues at hand and then when he decided to be bothered it was under a passive-aggressive cloud of martyrdom.

As Jessica sat brooding in her flat, looking over the hills of Bath in the general direction where northern England and Scotland lay beyond, she knew with absolute certainty that she wasn't meant to be the life partner of the werewolf and she couldn't play his game.

She also couldn't find it in herself to give a damn anymore.

Dumbledore had been very astute when he pointed out how symbiotic she and Severus were. Both of them had spent the better part of their lives running from their own truth; and both of them had paid a very high price for it as individuals and as partners. Severus used anything and everything as an excuse to run and never give anyone who might really care for him a chance, and Jessica ran when the truth became too intolerable to bear.

Memories from that fateful night at Hogwarts and the ensuing aftermath assaulted Jessica's mind and she burst into a hard crying jag. Everything was just one big mess, just as it had been in her own world. No matter where she ended up, it just didn't feel like she would ever be able to make herself happy let alone anyone else.

**xxxOOOxxx**

'That was a very brave and wonderful thing you did for Harry, Jessica,' Dumbledore intoned several days later.

He'd dropped in on her unexpectedly around dinner time. Jessica found that she was very happy to see him, even if she was rather taken aback. It was strange seeing him in anything but wizarding robes. He wore an impressive berry-coloured velvet suit with a sparkly fez of a hat and was nothing less than warm and cheerful as she showed him around every inch of the two-story flat.

They'd had quite a bit of idle chatter about her plans for the remainder the summer. She definitely wanted to see more of England – Cornwall was a distinct possibility or Devon. However, deep down she wondered what the real reason was for the Headmaster to be here like this. She couldn't imagine that he was the sort for light social calls.

'I couldn't sit by and let him cope all by himself. Somebody needed to help him and it may as well be me since nobody else was going to do anything.'

The Headmaster sighed. There was no point in offering up feeble excuses; Jessica was very right in her attitude and actions, he supposed. But the situation with Harry Potter was deeply complicated, and there had never been easy answers.

'So I was right after all; your life here with us **_is_** filled with purpose,' he said quietly. 'You know – you are giving Harry something I could have never given him, not with my status in our world…'

'And what's that?'

'A sense of what it might have been like to have a parent. He looks up to you as a mother figure. He couldn't have chosen better in my opinion.'

A lump rose in Jessica's throat and her eyes filled with tears.

'He's not a substitute for… I just… I know what he's going through and how hard it is for him. I wanted to make a difference as much as I could. If it were up to me I'd take him away from those awful people – but I know why he has to go back to them and be able to call that place his home until he comes of age. I just want you to understand that I don't have some sort of wish-fulfillment going on!'

'I know, child. I know,' Dumbledore said firmly as he grasped her hands in his. 'Such a thing has never occurred to me, not once.'

Jessica nodded as she removed one of her hands to wipe away her tears away and blow her nose. She cared deeply about Harry and all the other students she'd grown fond of, but none of them could ever take the place of the son she had loved so much – and lost.

'What did you make of the Dursleys?'

'If it were up to me I'd blast them all into next year!'

Jessica didn't mince words as she outlined just how loathsome Harry's relatives were.

'I daresay they are rather problematic.' Dumbledore replied with a knowing look in his eyes.

'Problematic? That's a gross understatement if I ever heard one, Headmaster.'

'Please; do call me Albus. We have come too far to stand on such ceremony with each other. Is there anything else you want to talk to me about, Jessica?'

For the briefest of moments she wanted to ask about Severus. She had wondered if he thought about her at all, even if it was to despise her memory. For him to feel that was better than feeling nothing at all.

'_Have you no pride, you stupid cow?'_ she scolded herself inwardly.

'No,' she said aloud, looking down into her iced fruit punch.

'Not even the use of magic at the Dursley home?'

'Ahh – **_that_**… Why didn't you tell me about what you were up to?' Jessica asked.

'Tell you about what, child?'

'Whatever you did to make it look like I was a proper witch and not the useless Muggle that I really am'

'But you are a "_proper witch"_; just as you've always been and you are very far from being useless if I do say so myself. Harry most certainly would agree I think.'

Time seemed to stop as Jessica looked at the Headmaster who was now smiling at her, the legendary twinkle very present in his blue eyes.

'_**No!'**_

'There were only two people that could have used magic at the Dursleys. Had it been Harry, an Owl from the Ministry would have delivered a sanction for the use of under-aged sorcery while you were still present. One was not sent because it was not necessary to do so. We are able to at least make a distinction between an adult who uses magic and a child. The situation with Dobby was different. House elves have a unique brand of magic specific to their kind; and as such the Ministry are not able to track them as they do us – and they also tend to register as children. Neither Petunia nor Vernon Dursley is capable, which only left one option.'

'Look, I'm sure there is some rational explanation for all this; but I didn't do it!'

Jessica ranted about being watched and her privacy being invaded and how mad it was to even think that she could do magic. Dumbledore sat back and looked at her with all the patience in the world after taking a few more bits of his pasta salad. He didn't say a word until she ran out of steam.

'You come from a people for whom wordless magic has been the norm for centuries, you and I both now that do we not? You told me about your propensity for running and yet you have never spoken of what made you flee your home,' he said evenly. 'Native Americans are not usually so inspired to remove themselves from their people or their customs, and yet you did so in your world and even in this one you have not displayed any genuine interest in finding out exactly where you've come from. You know why, Jessica; and sooner rather than later you will have to face up to it. You cannot run from who and what you really are any more than Remus Lupin or Severus Snape can. And as you yourself have pointed out – all human beings are magical; it just unfortunate for Muggles that they are disconnected from the very real magic they most definitely **_do_** possess.'

Jessica said nothing as her mind went blank. It was too much to be thinking of right now.

'You will be returning, won't you?' the Headmaster asked, changing the subject. 'I thought perhaps given your time on your own here you may have second thoughts about life in our world.'

It was probably best to drop the subject of what happened with Harry's relatives – but only for now.

'I always planned to go back. Nothing's changed,' Jessica said carefully. 'I've got my job – and I quite like it.'

'_Besides, you wouldn't let happen now would you old man?'_ she thought to herself. '_Not if you are under the impression that I've got some active magic in me after all…'_

She glanced up at him.

Was it her imagination or did he seem…relieved?

'I think I have taken up enough of your time, my dear,' Dumbledore said as he stood up. 'I look forward to welcoming you back. Enjoy the rest of your summer.'

'You as well Professor…'

'Perhaps you might journey to the northwest. I hear Iron Bridge and Shrewsbury are particularly scenic this time of year…'

'Is that a fact…'

'Just an observation; after all you did express an interest in seeing more of England. You haven't really had proper time to yourself. Perhaps you might secure yourself a Muggle Vehicle and see the country that way. Oh, and before I forget – I have these for you...'

Dumbledore reached into a pocket of his jacket and pulled out a rather thick envelope.

'You will need these given your life amongst Muggles. Identity papers: British and American passports, British Identity Card, English Driver's License, Undergraduate and Graduate Degrees, etc. Everything you could possibly need for your life here is in this envelope,' he explained.

'I didn't even have a British passport before – I was just a resident with Indefinite Leave to Remain. They were just on the verge of considering ID cards, but they never quite took off…'

'You would have become a citizen eventually, I should think; Britain was your home; and it still is.'

'Yes I would have…'

Jessica was nothing less than gobsmacked. Every aspect of her life was accounted for. It was as though she had been born in this world and had lived the life according to the story that Severus and Dumbledore had cooked up along with McGonagall.

'You do have a past in this world, Jessica. And when the time is right I propose that you and I explore it together.'

'Eventually… I just don't have the head for it now, Professor.'

'Consider that holiday– see more of what it's like here and take a nice drive up. Oh, and you also might want to open a Muggle bank account or two for yourself. I believe if you consider accounts with Nationwide Bank of England and HSBC Devonshire you will find them very amenable.'

Jessica's eyebrows shot up into her fringe. She'd had accounts with Nationwide Financial and HSBC in her world.

Dumbledore looked at his pocket watch.

'I'd best be getting on,' he said as he started walking to her front door. 'How long did you say you have the lease for?'

'Just six months to start…'

'Mmm always best to not commit yourself to long-term accommodation when you are just starting out. You might not feel the same way about the place in three months left alone six…'

Before Jessica could answer, Dumbledore Disapparated from her front hall with a loud CRACK.

'What on earth is going on?' she muttered as she locked her front door and then checked all the windows before heading up to bed with the envelope.

Once in bed she looked over her unexpected miracle of a gift. She'd been thinking for some time that such documents were very necessary and the Fairy Godfather that was Albus Dumbledore had actually made it happen. She could assimilate easily into the Muggle universe here; she could live anywhere in the EU or even North America (not that she'd ever go back there!). It was good to have options – she certainly had a lot more than she'd done in her own world.

'Shades o' fan fiction indeed,' she muttered as she examined her passport closely.

The Headmaster was thinking ahead, he had to be. And for all he was doing for her, she wondered if perhaps he would change his tack with Harry Potter – that is if the books had been correct about how he'd handled The Boy Who Lived and the prophecy.

But there was no way to know for sure until things happened of their own accord.

**xxxOOOxxx**

Several days later Jessica decided she would take a proper holiday before returning to Hogwarts. She had bought herself a 4x4, still an irritant for many a motorist and pedestrian in urban areas. She'd always wondered what it would be like to have the money to just do what she needed for herself and not have to worry. In this world it certainly seemed possible enough since she'd saved most of her salary.

But before she left, there was one bit of unfinished business that she needed to sort out.

**xxxOOOxxx**

Jessica's timing was deliberate. The Full Moon was a few weeks away and Remus wouldn't be tortured by her presence; well no more than usual. She pulled on the old-fashioned bell for a few minutes. All of the curtains were drawn so there was no way of telling for certain if Lupin was around or not.

'This is stupid, Remus!' she called through the door. 'I know you're in there!'

She was going on instinct and her instincts told her that he most certainly wasn't out and about. Given his rather martyred attitude about his appearance he didn't venture from his house unless there was a reason for it. Most of his time was spent at home.

'If this is how it finally ends then I'm better off without you!' she yelled.

Jessica stormed back to her car after a few more minutes and prepared to leave. She was quite certain she would never darken Remus Lupin's doorstep ever again.

'_God you are so fucking pathetic! I don't know what the hell I ever saw in you!'_ she hissed as she caught a glimpse of a curtain twitching in her rearview mirror.

She refused to look behind her at the werewolf now gazing forlornly as she slowly disappeared from view.

**xxxOOOxxx**

'I should have at least said goodbye, or something,' Lupin muttered as he watched Jessica leave. 'I shouldn't have let things fall apart the way they did.'

'Except it would have spiraled into something that, in the end, is not meant to be _according to you_,' Dumbledore said peering over his spectacles. 'Even now, you refuse to act though you do not want to let her go. You change your mind about her from one moment to the next. She's rather had enough of that, I should think and I cannot say that I blame her.'

'It doesn't matter; she thinks I'm a complete tosser now anyway.'

'You didn't have the courage of your convictions, Remus; so it doesn't really matter what you think she thinks, does it?'

'It couldn't have worked in the end. I have nothing to offer her and she would only resent me in the end. She fits more into our Muggle world than she does the wizarding world – you told me so yourself!'

Dumbledore sighed.

'That is not what I said. I merely stated the obvious: that _it would be easier for her to integrate with the Muggles rather than confine herself to our world_. More of our kind might have survived the last war had they managed to be practical and forward thinking in this way. Jessica has had to adapt to extreme changes in her circumstances for most her life. She is a survivor in every sense of the word. No matter what bad thing comes her way, she will find a way to not let it completely destroy her. She'll make it work for her, even if the process is painful at times. That is exactly why she refused to give up on you – and Severus…'

'Well, if her life has been so miserable then all the more reason why she shouldn't shack up with the likes me, Albus! We both know that she'll end up with him again, so it's better that it stops right here, right now rather than continue on into some overblown farce!'

'It's not the end of the world, my old friend; it just feels like it at the moment. Just remember our conversation at Hogwarts.'

Lupin laughed bitterly.

'She wouldn't have given me the time of day if things hadn't fallen apart with **_him _**and no self-respecting witch is going to take the risks needed to be with me! She was curious and it was no more than that!'

'_Love will never find you if you persist in running from it_,' Dumbledore replied as he stood to leave. 'You remember what we talked about. When we least expect it, life has a way of surprising us all. Just remember the mistakes you've made – and do your damnedest to not repeat them.'

There was a loud CRACK as he Disapparated, leaving Lupin to wrestle with his demons by himself.


	23. Jessica's Detour

**Plot, new characters, new magical terms and abilities etc. are my intellectual property. If you want to borrow then please kindly ask. JK Rowling's characters and Wizarding Universe are all uniquely hers.**

**Summary: AU: What if everything we ever read in JK Rowling's books was real – including the people characterised? What would you do if you found yourself caught up in that reality knowing what was to come? SS, RL, OC **

**_Authors Note:_ _It has been mentioned in the story but now I am noting it here. I am a fan of Diana Gabaldon's 'Outlander'/'Cross Stitch' series and definitely was influenced by that in writing this story – i.e. the Standing Stones and traveling through time. But I also love Philip Pullman's 'His Dark Materials' series and the tv programme 'Sliders' and the alternate universes alongside ours idea comes from there no doubt._**

**Fantasy/Drama**

**This story is rated R/M.**

**ENIGMA**

**Chapter 023: Jessica's Detour**

Jessica took one last chance to see Harry as she began her holiday. She'd told Dumbledore she would stop by at the start of her road trip, just to set her mind at ease. The Headmaster had chuckled as only he could with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes and commented he wouldn't have expected any less of her.

It was just past noon when the Librarian pulled into Number 4. She was surprised to see Harry in front of the house with his trunk and Hedwig. The snowy white owl was hooting excitedly as Jessica alighted from the truck and strolled over.

'Rather enthusiastic, aren't you Mr. Potter?' Jessica grinned. 'You aren't due to leave for another day or so…'

Harry looked at Jessica like what planet was she from. 'No – I'm all packed to go with you…' he said slowly.

'Me?'

'Erm, Professor Dumbledore said you'd take me to the Weasleys…what with Mr. Weasley's overtime and Mrs. Weasley tied up with things at home and with the _Witches' Good Housekeeping Association_... He said I should give you this…'

Jessica took the sealed note from Harry's outstretched hand and quickly opened it and read it.

'Ahh, I see…' Jessica said shaking her head in disbelief. 'Well come on then…'

She picked up Hedwig's cage and the owl nipped playfully at her fingers. 'Calm down Hedwig; a few hours on the road and you'll be begging to be let out!'

The Librarian unlocked one of the rear doors and strapped the cage in securely after spreading newspaper over the seat. 'Are those Owl Treats in that bag Harry? Better bung some in her cage and fill up her water bottle…oh – and please check your room for stuff I just know you've forgotten!'

'Yes Mom!'

'Cheeky devil!'

As Harry bounded back into the house and tore up the stairs to his room, Jessica heaved his trunk into the back of her truck. She'd always written about the Machiavellian side that Dumbledore had to have to his character and she couldn't help but to have the feeling that before the summer was even done her perceptions of his dual nature would be borne out. Still, she couldn't blame him. All great and successful people, regardless of their sex, had an almost detached ruthlessness by which they manipulated their environment. At least she could take heart that Dumbledore acted for the greater good unlike Lord Voldemort.

'Forgot my Potions homework! Old Snape would…' Harry stopped short and looked down into his rucksack as he jammed the parchment into it.

'…have your head on a stick,' Jessica said assuredly. 'What about Herbology, Transfiguration and History of Magic?'

The Boy Who Lived looked sheepish and Jessica rolled her eyes exasperatedly.

'You're asking for trouble if you don't get those done…'

'They'll get done, trust me!'

'Mmm hmm; I can't imagine Mrs. Weasley would take kindly to you staying up half the night before you're due at King's Cross!'

Harry turned a faint shade of purple remembering the live versions of Mrs. Weasley's Howlers he'd witnessed the last time he was at the Burrow. She was definitely not someone he wanted to get on the wrong side of. 'I swear – I will definitely get it all done long before then!'

'I'm not saying a word; it'll be on your head to deal with…come on, get in and buckle up.'

Harry whooped and literally bounced up into his seat.

'And your aunt and uncle are where?' Jessica asked as she started the car.

'Watching the telly.'

'_Right…'_

Jessica turned off the ignition and jumped out of the car. She was already through the front door and standing in the living room by the time Harry unbuckled himself.

'Harry's leaving,' she said pleasantly as all three Dursleys cowered on the settee which protested mightily against the weight of the males. Petunia Dursley was little more than a toothpick wedged tightly between their considerable girths. 'Aren't you even going to say goodbye?'

'Anyone would think he's off to see the ruddy Prime Minister!' Uncle Vernon snapped.

'Forget it Miss Newkirk…' Harry said, pulling at Jessica's arm.

Jessica flicked her wand absent-mindedly at the new television set and it exploded with a loud BOOM followed by the bowls heaving with crisps, candies and cakes that was Dudley's elevenses. 'Enjoy the rest of your summer,' she said sweetly as Dudley began to howl the house down about his tv programmes and his sweeties.

Just before she closed the door, there was an almighty snapping CRACK!

'There goes the settee…they need a gym membership more than they need junk food and television,' Jessica sniffed as she and Harry set off for good.

**xxxOOOxxx**

'You are dangerous, Miss!' Harry grinned.

'Uh uh – none of that again; just call me Jessica,' Jessica replied idly as she looked down at the map that had been enclosed with the letter and handed it to Harry.

The Weasleys weren't exactly convenient to the route she'd mapped out for herself, so this extra detour would mean she'd be set back by two or three days. She'd certainly have to find a motel after dropping Harry off. It would be impossible to drive all the way back down the West Country into Devon and then turn around and head to the Northwest. It didn't really matter though; Harry's well-being was more important than anything. He was certainly looking a lot brighter since they left and that confirmed that she'd done the right thing by going to see him again, Dumbledore notwithstanding.

They made two stops at large service areas where Jessica bought them lunch, afternoon tea and re-fuelled the car. Harry slept for the last leg of their journey, the first good sleep he'd had all summer.

'Sweet dreams,' Jessica thought to herself after glancing over at him and tucking his jacket around him. 'Enjoy them while you can…'

**xxxOOOxxx**

As it wasn't the weekend they managed to stave off quite a bit of time, pulling up outside the Weasley home shortly before dinner time. Jessica had felt an unbelievable excitement as they crossed the old stone bridge that spanned the River Otter just outside Ottery St.-Catchpole in Devon, knowing what lay ahead on the other side.

'Wow! That is mad – brilliant, but definitely mad!' Jessica muttered as she stared disbelievingly at the Weasley homestead after navigating the hills, woods and orchards that protected it from prying Muggle eyes. She had to give Arthur Weasley his due for doing what he could to accommodate such a large family. He'd conjured whatever was handy and just kept stacking it up, clearly aiming for what was more suitable practically than aesthetically. There was no mistaking that the legendary thatched-roof house was being held up by magic.

'It's wicked, isn't it,' Harry yawned.

'MUM! They're here!' came a voice as the front door banged open.

Ron piled out along with the twins and two other red-headed young men that Jessica could only assume were the eldest brothers, Charlie and Bill.

'Hi Miss Newkirk!' George said excitedly as he eyeballed the 4x4.

'Boy – wait 'till Dad gets a look at this!' Fred whistled appreciatively as he circled the car.

'Want to get in and see how she feels?' Jessica grinned.

'Is Eloise Gudgeon bandy-legged with a hump?' George said jumping in the drivers' seat and sighing with ecstasy.

'Get away from that car!' Mrs. Weasley shrieked as Fred pulled George from the car and sailed into the driver's seat with Bill and Charlie jockeying for position.

'It's alright Mrs. Weasley, they're just seeing what it's like…' Jessica said cautiously.

'You touch one thing; that car makes one sound and all of you will…! Oh hello, Harry dear I hope you're ready for dinner,' said Mrs. Weasley.

'Mrs. Weasley – this is Miss Newkirk…' Harry said as he stood next to Jessica.

'Pleasure to meet you Mrs. Weasley. Harry's told me a lot about you. He says you're a fabulous cook.'

Mrs. Weasley laughed a strange high-pitched tinkling sort of laugh that made all of her children look at her in astonishment. They hadn't heard anything like it since she met Gilderoy Lockhart, five time winner of Witch Weekly's Best Smile Award when he taught Defense Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts.

'Oh, Harry's just exaggerating! I wouldn't say that; but thank you Harry dear just the same!' Mrs. Weasley was grinning from ear to ear. 'And it's a pleasure to meet you at last, Miss Newkirk. Dumbledore thinks very highly of you, you know.'

'Some of us think highly of her too!' Ron sniffed.

'Oh dear me, where is my head. Fred, George; get Harry's things upstairs and then all of you can de-gnome the garden and get out the table and chairs.'

'And what about Percy, Ginny and Hermione?' Ron asked without thinking.

'Percy has a very important report to finish for Minister Fudge,' Mrs. Weasley replied as she puffed out her chest with pride. 'You hurry and get the garden sorted; Ginny and Hermione will set the table when you're done.'

'Well – I better leave you all to it,' Jessica said as she opened the driver's door and moved to step up. 'Have a good rest of the summer and please don't leave your homework until the last minute – all of you!'

'What? Aren't you staying for dinner?' Mrs. Weasley asked, looking slightly put out.

'You didn't ask her Mum,' George muttered.

'Oh heavens – where are my manners. We'd planned on you staying for dinner…' Mrs. Weasley began.

'…_and…'_

'_Never you mind Ronald Weasley!'_ Mrs. Weasley said, looking very cross. 'Get going, all of you.'

'So are you staying, Miss Newkirk?' Harry asked hesitantly.

'Erm… yes, yes I am….'

'Great!'

Mrs. Weasley introduced Jessica to Bill and Charlie. Harry and Ron tore around to the rear garden while Fred and George took his trunk and Hedwig to Ron's room.

'Well – why don't we have a nice cup of tea and have a chat?' Mrs. Weasley said as she ushered Jessica into the house after sending Bill and Charlie to oversee Ron.

**xxxOOOxxx**

Jessica sat in the cramped kitchen, inwardly marveling at how Mrs. Weasley could profess to being so tired when everything was running on magic. Once again, it seemed the films weren't too far off. However, it was one thing to see it on celluloid and yet another to be living it. After dispensing with formalities, she answered Molly's barrage of questions as best she could. Mercifully she ran out of deeply personal ones and the talk turned to food. Jessica was happy to talk about how American barbecues were very different and before she knew it, Mrs. Weasley had her in an apron making deep fried chicken, potato salad and corn-on-the-cob.

'No need to wear yourself out doing it by scratch!' Molly exclaimed as she realised Jessica was clearly not going to use any magic.

Not willing to comment on the contradiction inherent in that assertion, Jessica simply replied that using magic for domestic chores had been strictly forbidden when she was growing up. It helped her family to blend in better with the Muggle environment around them. Before Molly could reply, the front door banged open and shut.

'Oooh Hi Miss Newkirk!' Ginny called out excitedly even though they were only a few feet apart.

'Mmm what's that smell?' Hermione asked as her stomach let out a loud gurgle of hunger.

'Spicy Southern Fried Chicken amongst other things. I hope you girls are really hungry; I hate seeing food go to waste…' Jessica answered.

'What about pudding?' Ginny sighed as she looked lovingly at the chicken already heaped onto a platter.

'Merlin's Beard! I knew I forgot something!' Mrs. Weasley said irritably.

'What about a chocolate bread pudding?' Jessica suggested.

'And a butter one too?' Ginny asked hopefully.

'Good that you've volunteered. Make yourselves useful…' Jessica said as she tossed them aprons. 'Molly, why don't you put your feet up for a change and relax? Let somebody else do the work. Girls, we need to tidy as we go, no point in leaving it all to be done at once.'

If there was one way to truly score brownie points with Molly Weasley in her own home, Jessica had just done it. Mrs. Weasley settled herself into a cozy armchair by the window and put her feet up on a footstool, savouring the piping hot mug of tea Jessica handed her. The little kitchen hummed with activity as the girls helped with the cooking and began to set the table outside. They gossiped with Jessica and Mrs. Weasley about some of the other students at Hogwarts. Even in the summer holidays, the school's rumour mill was in overdrive with owls flying back and forth especially from students going to the Quidditch World Cup.

The front door slammed open and shut once more just as the one-handed clock in the kitchen indicated that Mr. Weasley was home.

'Hello everybody!' Mr. Weasley boomed as he took off his traveling cloak. 'What's this – having a _break_ are we Molly? What on earth is the world coming to?'

'Did you get it, Dad?' Ginny demanded, clearly ready to burst. 'Please tell me you did!'

'Well! That's a fine 'how-do-you-do'! A man comes home after another hard day's graft for his missus and the fruit of his loins and not so much as a 'hello' or…'

'DAD! Did you get it? Did you?' Ron interrupted as he hurled himself into the kitchen and nearly upset the table heaving with their dinner.

'That will be enough of that! Upstairs, all of you! Get yourselves clean and be outside in ten minutes!' Mrs. Weasley ordered as she stopped a bowl of dinner rolls from falling over.

There was a cacophony of footsteps on the narrow staircase as all the children and their guests trooped upstairs to wash up.

'Hello, Mr. Weasley. I'm Jessica Newkirk,' Jessica said extending her hand. 'Just call me Jessica though. Being called "Miss Newkirk" makes me feel old.'

'I daresay a few days with this lot will have much the same effect...' Mr. Weasley replied as he shook her hand. 'Just call me Arthur – we don't stand on much formality here. It's great to finally meet you. Dumbledore speaks very highly of you, you know… and the children do as well.'

Jessica looked embarrassed as she washed her hands at the kitchen sink.

'I do what I can…'

Mr. Weasley looked up at the ceiling, noting that everyone was still occupied with getting ready for dinner.

'Dumbledore has told us you've joined our ranks, so-to-speak,' he said in a low voice as he drew near.

Jessica nodded her confirmation. 'I don't know how useful I'll be, but I'll do what I can like everyone else.'

'There aren't many who would willingly put themselves out and I wouldn't hold it against you if the situation changed and neither would Molly.'

'Whatever happens, we all need to support each other,' Mrs. Weasley said gravely as she rose. 'The in-fighting the last time – it nearly tore us apart when we desperately needed to pull together.'

'I can't imagine what it was like back then…' Jessica replied in a hushed voice.

'We had no way of knowing about the scorpion in our midst,' said Mr. Weasley. 'We just knew that we'd been compromised. Looking back now, we should have known better about a great many things.'

'Ahh, but hindsight is always twenty-twenty,' Jessica said knowingly. 'And it's never easy being the Greatest Wizard of the Age. Professor Dumbledore walks a lonely road with everyone thinking he's omnipotent and infallible. But he's a man, first and foremost. His burdens are all the more peculiar because of the choices he has to make for the greater good, but he's still a man capable of making mistakes.'

'I can see why he thinks so highly of you,' Molly said confidently. 'Most of them admire him, but they are intimidated by him too. It's not his fault really – they've put a mantle on his shoulders that he's never courted.'

'You're not afraid him – not afraid to challenge him. He needs that; Merlin knows we all do…' said Mr. Weasley.

'And we'll need it this time more than ever…' Mr. Weasley said as the children began bounding down the stairs.

'Thank you,' Jessica said simply.

'OK you lot – dinner's on!' Mrs. Weasley shouted as she and Jessica began to take the food outside.

**xxxOOOxxx**

'Oh my god, this is SO good!' Bill said as he helped himself to more of Jessica's chicken and potato salad. 'Your boyfriend is a lucky man!'

'Erm – I don't have a boyfriend,' Jessica said, going fairly pink in her face.

Hermione's head snapped up from her plate and Harry ignored her gaze. He hadn't written a word to Hermione about Jessica and he hadn't answered any of her questions yet either. Jessica was all she wanted to talk about, and Harry didn't want to share. Hermione would just have to get over it, he wasn't going to talk about it. If she wanted to know so much, she'd have to get from Jessica herself.

'You don't?' Mrs. Weasley asked with a big smile.

'Molly!' Mr. Weasley sighed exasperatedly. 'Head for the hills Jessica while you still can!'

'After the pudding I sure will!' Jessica laughed.

Her crack caused a rousing chorus of laughter all around. Mrs. Weasley flicked her wand and the bread puddings bounced out of the house along with a jug of hot custard, bowls and spoons. The talk turned to the Quidditch World Cup and who was likely to win it as everyone helped themselves.

'Speaking of which,' George said as he poked his father. 'What about you-know-what?'

'Ahhh – _that_…' Mr. Weasley said cryptically.

'Oh come on Dad, we've waited long enough!' Charlie enthused.

'Well… you know it was hard going, it was. Old Merryfoot put up such a fight. Why I had to…' Mr. Weasley began.

'Arthur! Enough's enough! Now please put them out of their misery so we can all relax!' Mrs. Weasley screeched.

'OK my dear wife. To answer the question to which you have all longed for an answer to with baited breath… Yes, I got the other ticket!'

There was a roar of whoops and table pounding as the Weasley children lost their minds along with Hermione.

'See! I told you!' Ron said resentfully as he glared at the twins.

'Other ticket?' Harry asked quizzically. 'Is Lee coming then?'

'Lee's going with some of his relatives…'

'Then who…?'

Mr. Weasley beamed at Jessica, who was tucking into her chocolate bread pudding and custard, completely oblivious.

'What?' Harry asked. 'ALL RIGHT!!!'

'So how about it Jessica?' Mrs. Weasley asked.

'How about what?'

'How about coming with us to the Quidditch World Cup!' Mr. Weasley offered.

The colour visibly drained from Jessica's face.

'Oh – well – erm – that's very kind of you. It's very thoughtful indeed…but, um, I need to hit the road. I've got my holiday you see…'

'Dumbledore said you didn't have anything specific in mind; just that you were driving back to school. Even with this little detour you'll still arrive before the term officially starts. You've already taken the time to bring Harry to us…'

'I hope you didn't push for anything on my account…'

'The ticket was on offer to me because of the work I've put in. It's not often that the Ministry gives me perks so please don't feel guilty about it. Molly and I thought you might enjoy it – it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.'

'Oh come on Jessica! It'll be so much fun!' Ginny pleaded.

The others joined in until Jessica shushed them with a piercing whistle. 'Alright…' she said with an air of resignation. 'I give in. When do we go?'

'Tomorrow morning, before the crack of dawn,' Mr. Weasley grinned. 'I'll just go let Dumbledore know that he can expect you at Hogwarts a bit later than planned. It's about time Hermes stretched his wings and made himself useful.'

'Which means bed for you lot in an hour,' Mrs. Weasley added.

There were no complaints as the talk turned to the teams that had qualified. Jessica sat numbly, idly playing with her dessert and giving the odd comment here and there so as to not be seen as rude. She had been worried before, but now she was just plain scared.

She was a Muggle, going to one of the biggest events in the Wizarding World globally – and she was going to be facing the horrors that she'd agonised over when she thought she'd be saying goodbye to Harry and leaving him to it.

God help her if Dumbledore was involved in any way with this.


	24. Traveling & Moving

**Plot, new characters, new magical terms and abilities etc. are my intellectual property. If you want to borrow then please kindly ask. JK Rowling's characters and Wizarding Universe are all uniquely hers.**

**Summary: AU: What if everything we ever read in JK Rowling's books was real – including the people characterised? What would you do if you found yourself caught up in that reality knowing what was to come? SS, RL, OC **

**_Authors Note:_ _It has been mentioned in the story but now I am noting it here. I am a fan of Diana Gabaldon's 'Outlander'/'Cross Stitch' series and definitely was influenced by that in writing this story – i.e. the Standing Stones and traveling through time. But I also love Philip Pullman's 'His Dark Materials' series and the tv programme 'Sliders' and the alternate universes alongside ours idea comes from there no doubt._**

**Fantasy/Drama**

**This story is rated R/M.**

**ENIGMA**

**Chapter 024: Traveling and Moving**

It wasn't until everyone was getting ready for bed that Hermione finally had her chance. Jessica was bunking down with she and Ginny and Ginny was the last of them to go downstairs for a bath.

'Dinner was really great. I think Mrs. Weasley was pleased with how it turned out.' Hermione said as she fiddled with her pillow.

'Mmm good thing too. We ladies tend to be quite territorial about these things. But you take help where you can get it if you can.'

Jessica was sorting out her clothes and some things she knew she would need for the camping extravaganza that was the Quidditch World Cup. Hermione watched as she carefully rolled up several pairs of jeans, t-shirts, two sweat shirts and sweatpants and placed them in the large rucksack followed by her toothbrush and toothpaste, a comb and brush and a box of hand and face wipes.

'Guess you've done this a lot,' Hermione said awkwardly. 'Erm – camping I mean.'

'Are you kidding? Of course this is bound to be different since it's witches and wizards…'

'Miss Newkirk…'

'_Jessica…'_

'_Jessica…'_ Hermione blushed. 'Aren't you worried about… you know…'

'What? Ahh – you mean my non-existent magic?' Jessica whispered conspiratorially.

Hermione nodded fretfully.

'I take it Harry hasn't told you then…'

'Harry doesn't say very much these days.'

'Mmm – I can see why. Try to put yourself in his place Hermione. You're a bright girl; it should be fairly obvious to you after all this time. But suffice it to say that it seems as though I have some semblance of magic in me and have been practicing.'

'You what?' Hermione whispered as she flopped down on the floor across from Jessica with wide eyes. 'But how…?'

'We don't know. But I've had regular lessons with the Headmaster for a while now and he came to see me at home… After a bit of a mishap on my part wielding this wand that I seem to have inherited.'

'Professor Dumbledore…._came to see you?_'

'Indeed he did my dear.'

'Wow – it must have been really important for him to do that. I can't imagine he'd do that for just anyone!'

Jessica didn't respond as she checked the contents of her shoulder bag.

'And Professor Snape… is everything – OK?'

Jessica shook her head 'no' and Hermione could see that she looked tearful.

'I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking,' Hermione said quietly.

The two sat in silence as Jessica held the familiar handkerchief with its entwined double S.

'It's a fair enough question, actually, considering what you know,' she replied at last. 'I know that you haven't said a word to anyone and I appreciate it. So does Professor Snape and the Headmaster, although they would never say so.'

'Have you… have you thought about going back through the stones?'

'No – my life here still has a lot more promise than my old one there, all things considered. I want to know what happened to my friends – I want justice. But I known damn well that it's me the police would point the finger at.'

'Have you been up there again though?'

Jessica nodded.

'Severus took me, ironically enough. He thought I should have a fair chance to go since I wasn't terribly happy here to start with. But I had already reconciled things within myself to a degree so it was an exercise in futility on his part. Once my mind is made up, that's it. I did want to prove to him that what I'd said was the truth – so I showed him. We talked about it, but I already knew that if I was going to stay, he would say that he didn't want it to be because of him…'

'But you did stay – because of him, didn't you…'

'Yeah… I did,' Jessica admitted tearfully. 'There's more I could say, but I need to respect his privacy and so do you.'

There was a _creak_ from outside the bedroom door. Both fell silent and looked at each other.

Jessica leapt to her feet and bade Hermione to be quiet with a finger across her lips. She moved stealthily to the door as silent as a cat. She counted down from three with her fingers and then flung open the door.

She walked out into the hall and the only sounds were those of the twins, Ron and Harry upstairs. She heard another heard creak and peered ahead. The hall window was open wide and a hard wind was howling through. She closed it and then listened intently. The creaking had stopped.

Jessica sighed as she came back in the room and closed the door behind her.

'It's only the wind,' she said as she took a seat on the camp bed that had been conjured for her. 'Just the same, I think we need to end this line of discussion…'

Hermione nodded faintly as she let out a relieved sigh and looked down at the two rolls of parchment on her lap and a rather huge book.

'Is that the essay for Professor McGonagall?' Jessica asked.

'Yes…' came a nervous squeak. McGonagall could always tell now when Jessica had reviewed Hermione's work with her. With Jessica Hermione managed to find some semblance of a voice whereas on her own it was straight repetition from the book.

'Well at least one of you has some sense…' Jessica sighed as she settled under her duvet.

'Don't you want to see it?'

'No – what I want is sleep.'

Several minutes later Ginny bounded into the room and giggled as she stepped over Jessica.

'Don't mind me ladies. If you know what's good for you you'll settle down though. You do not want to be bone tired with all that walking to get to Stoatshead Hill in the dark.'

'We're walking? Carry all that stuff' Hermione asked incredulously. 'I mean – you have that huge utility vehicle…'

'Which I wouldn't have for long if someone came across it. It would look odd that a brand new car was simply left with no trace of the owner. The car stays here with your mother.'

'I better lighten my pack,' Hermione said dejectedly.

Ginny and Jessica watched in amazement as the bushy-headed Gryffindor dumped what seemed to be half the Hogwarts Library along with her schoolbooks on the floor.

'I can appreciate that you are quite studious Hermione, but really – the world won't come to an end if you don't finish your homework and read the entire syllabus for the rest of your school career over the next few days…'

'Besides – once we get there you'll forget all about those essays!' Ginny said enthusiastically, before turning out the light.

Jessica lay in the dark quietly, listening to the two girls whispering to each other before falling asleep. She was strongly compelled to warn them all – but she knew what Dumbledore thought about that. Events needed to play out as they were meant to with no interference from her if she could help it. If she managed to exercise such restraint then clearly it was meant to be.

She listened to the sound of the wind through the trees outside Ginny's window and the branches scraping against them. There was a faint _creak_ in the hall she didn't catch as she drifted off to sleep.

**xxxOOOxxx**

Mr. Weasley hadn't been joking about setting up for the sun had an intention of beginning to rise. The bleary-eyed group set out for Stoatshead Hill after saying their goodbyes to Mrs. Weasley. She had her Association meeting to go to later that morning and the Ladies had to plan their annual fundraiser. She wasn't much of a Quidditch fan so didn't mind missing the World Cup.

No one was inclined to talk because they were all tired, trying not to think of how nice it would be to turn around and go back to bed. Usually on the wrong side of bickering, Ron and Hermione were blessedly quiet. Harry stumbled along next to Jessica with Ginny on her other side. Jessica put a steadying arm around both teenagers and kept them moving forward.

After what felt like a long time, a small hill came into view, with bits of trash strewn about. The sun was just poking over the horizon and the small party stopped to have a good look at it.

'Nature in all her glory – Greetings to you our Grandfather!' Jessica said softly as she took a deep breath and spread her arms wide.

Ginny asked her what she meant by that, and Jessica told one of the creation stories of her people.

'You come from a fascinating culture…' Mr, Weasley said admiringly.

'Arthur!' came a sonic boom of a voice. 'We were thinking you might be late!'

'Not on your life Amos…' Mr. Weasley replied pleasantly.

'And who is this gorgeous lady? When the cat's away eh!' Amos Diggory chortled.

Mr. Weasley countenance had lost some of its customary pleasantness as he introduced Jessica to his colleague from the Ministry of Magic.

'Ahh so you're the lovely Miss Newkirk my Ced has praised to the moon! When I heard Dumbledore had hired some relative of McGonagall's I thought "Nepotism! There's the library down the drain" – but apparently you are quite competent from what I've heard. Sprout certainly seems pleased, and you know she has the most impeccable standards!'

Jessica was ready to smack Mr. Diggory when Cedric stepped forward and said hello. Harry said hello while Ginny and Hermione just smiled. The twins grunted, and their disposition wasn't made any better by Mr. Diggory claiming that the best man had won when the Hufflepuffs led by Cedric had finally beaten Gryffindor.

'Dad – please, we should have had re-match. It would have been the right thing to do,' Cedric mumbled, looking as though he wanted the hill to swallow him up. Everyone knew that it was only because Harry had fallen off his broom when the Dementors invaded the pitch that stormy, windswept Saturday.

'Nonsense! I'm sure young Harry here can appreciate that he can't always come first! You won fair and square!'

Harry gritted his teeth and said nothing as he stood next to Jessica.

'One minute to go,' Mr. Weasley said crisply. 'Everyone gather 'round and put a finger on this…'

'_Put a finger on an old boot?'_ Ron demanded.

'It's a portkey, Ronald – unless you plan on missing that Wonky Faint…' Hermione sniffed.

'_Wronski Feint_…how many times do I have to tell you the move is the **_Wronski Feint_**!'

Jessica slammed Ron's hand down just in time.

What she experienced for the next couple of minutes was nothing less than traumatic. It was like being on the Tilt-A-Whirl at the Carnival when she was young, spinning and spinning so fast that she always managed to get sick when the ride stopped. This most peculiar ride began to slow down and she found herself dropping hard on her feet on the edge of a great hill.

'Everyone alright,' Mr. Weasley asked carefully.

Jessica's answer was to vomit heavily, narrowly missing his shoes.

'Oh well it happens – some of us just aren't as strong as we need to be, right Ced?' said Mr. Diggory.

Jessica didn't care as she proceeded to projectile vomit, covering Mr. Diggory in a good deal of bile.

All of the Weasley children except for Percy were ready to piss themselves laughing while Mr. Diggory cleaned himself up with a scouring spell. Unfortunately for him he was recognised by some of his colleagues, one of whom appeared to have taken a couple of pictures surreptitiously.

'Are you alright Miss,' Cedric asked worriedly as Jessica continued to dry-heave more out of anger than actually being sick.

'You lot go on ahead. Here Jessica – swallow this,' Mr. Weasley advised as he popped a violent orange tablet into Jessica's mouth and then handed her a bottle of water. 'You'll be as right as rain in a few minutes.'

Jessica did as she was told with a bit of difficulty, but found that she felt much better once the vile-tasting tablet had gone down.

'Ahh – I'll have to tell Severus his experiment worked,' Mr. Weasley said cheerfully.

Jessica said nothing and just swirled a bit of water in her mouth for a bit and then spit it out.

'Thanks Arthur – I was about ready to take his head off. Just tired is all…'

'So I noticed,' Mr. Weasley said with a conspirital wink.

'Be mindful His Lordship doesn't see that – next thing you know he'll be carrying tales…'

'People know Amos Diggory enough to not believe any such thing,' Mr. Weasley said directly. 'He's not a vicious man, honestly he's not. He's just a bit…proud…'

'Especially where Cedric is concerned,' Jessica said thoughtfully as they began to follow the others up the hill.

'Yes – well Ced's the only child they have; the only child they were able to have. And Amos was blessed to get the son he desperately wanted. I don't think he would have been heartless if he'd had a daughter, but I do know that his life is all the more joyful because of his only son.'

'I see. Still – Cedric is nothing like him… I know I don't really know him; it's just…an instinct…'

'And a very fine instinct indeed. You see, Cedric's more his mother's child than his father's, don't let appearances fool you. You wouldn't know it to meet her, but the fine young man that Cedric is has everything to do with Eliza. She and Cedric both are a credit to their House.'

The young man in question was still looking very concerned when they reached the top of the hill. While the others in their party were transfixed at the never-ended jumble of tents and market stalls that went on for miles, Cedric's concern was that Jessica was alright. She could tell he felt bad about his father's remarks and quietly reassured him that no offense was taken. Cedric wasn't sure that he entirely believed it, but managed to give her a small smile just the same.

'Why don't you stop by ours for some lunch,' Jessica suggested. 'That is if your father doesn't have other plans for you.'

Cedric glanced at his father, who was glad-handing some Ministry Officials from Fudge's office.

'I'm sure he doesn't. That would be great – if no one else minds.'

'And why would they? You're my guest,' Jessica said as she tucked her arm in his and followed Mr. Weasley to the entrance where they needed to pay for their tent pitches.

'I heard you're a great cook,' Cedric smiled. 'Dad hates spicy food but Mum and I like it a lot. Nothing beats a good curry!'

'Then all the more for us then…and that gives me an idea for dinner tonight.'

Cedric and Jessica continued to talk. Harry finally looked back to see where she was and caught the two of them laughing.

'You see – told you she's all better,' Mr. Weasley said brightly.

**xxxOOOxxx**

Harry said nothing as he waited for Jessica to join them. But he wasn't happy seeing her with Cedric. It made him think of their time together at Bluewater. Percy didn't look particularly pleased about anything, but no one paid him any mind. All he could think about were the officials from Minister Fudge's office he was expected to socialize with, or so he had convinced himself if not anyone else.

The man taking the money and confirming their pitches for them identified himself as Mr. Roberts and he was definitely a Muggle. Jessica didn't meet his eyes as he counted heads and muttered about the strange folks and things that were about. She didn't want think that before the Cup festivities were over, this man would be paraded upside down like a marionette long with his wife and children. Jessica needed to do something, but even in thinking that she realised how pointless it was.

'How much for pitches near the facilities?' asked Mr. Weasley. 'I don't want a long walk if I can help it.'

'That'll be forty pounds – twenty each.'

'Forty pounds – right! Here you are,' Jessica said as she handed over the cash after taking twenty from Mr. Weasley who was clearly confused by what to use and adding it to twenty from her own money. 'Just put down Arthur Weasley for both of them.'

'Lots 21 and 22 in Field A…w-e-a-s-l-e-y.' Mr. Roberts said as he handed them tickets and pamphlets from the Ministry of Magic. 'OK who's next? Move it along!'

Mr. Diggory secured Lot 30 for himself and Cedric and tried to pay for it with some of his Gringott's gold.

'Is this – gold? _Real_ gold?' Mr. Roberts asked with eyes as wide as saucers.

'Of course not! Amos you joker!' Jessica chortled as she handed over another twenty pounds and handed the ticket to Mr. Diggory who looked as though he wished the earth would swallow him up.

'Just then two Aurors turned up and before she could bat an eyelash, Mr. Roberts was Obliviated.

'Mmm yessiree – you'll be wanting… that one,' Mr. Roberts said dreamily as he waved a hand airily around.

'If we have to do this anymore his brain will turn to mush,' the taller of the two complained. 'You think people have any common sense? No! Why just last night…!'

Suddenly there was a loud _bang_ and everyone was spellbound by a band of gaudily dressed gnomes tap-dancing across a magical rainbow. There was a rousing roar followed by Leprechauns doing triple somersaults and breakdancing routines culminating in an Irish Step Dancing routine.

'Goddamn those Germans and Irish!' the tall Auror squeaked as they ran off.

'I don't know about you, but I could do with a good wash, some lunch and a kip,' Jessica said tiredly.

'Sleep? Are you mad woman?' the twins exclaimed in unison.

'Erm – yes?'

Everyone started to laugh as they followed Mr. Weasley and Mr. Diggory to Field A. Mr. Weasley found his and Jessica's lots and all the Weasley children dropped their things along with Harry and Hermione.

'Give us at least an hour,' Jessica instructed Cedric after informing Mr. Diggory that Cedric could take his lunch with them.

There was no protest as Mr. Diggory hurried off to get their tent set up. The sooner it was done, the sooner he could catch up to Bartemius Crouch and Cornelius Fudge.

Mr. Weasley set up the two tents with the help of Charlie and Bill. In less than ten minutes, Jessica found herself standing in the lounge of a comfortable tent that was like a small home inside. The living area separated the girl's room where she, Ginny and Hermione would sleep from the boys where Mr. Weasley would bunk down with his offspring and Harry.

Jessica excused herself to go down to the shower block. Having been sick she felt in insatiable urge to scrub herself clean.

'Why don't you have a nice wander and then we can break for lunch?' she suggested to everyone else. 'Just be back in an hour or so…'

'I can't wait to see the market stalls!' Ron whooped as he ducked out after Harry.

'Why don't we have a look as we get you down to your shower, hmm?' Mr. Weasley suggested after Jessica picked out a fresh pair of jeans and a t-shirt along with a small waterproof bag that held her toiletries, a facecloth and towel.

They walked slowly, with Mr. Weasley taking time to point out Ministry personnel along the way.

'That's Kingsley Shacklebolt; one of the best Aurors the Ministry's got… The best thing for that department would be for him to be the head of it instead of old Scrimgeour…'

The market trader's area hummed with activity as good were bought and sold from all over the world. Jessica was fascinated by the items on offer and said she'd like to have a good look. Mr. Weasley left Jessica out side their Shower block and promised he'd be back in time for lunch.

Jessica didn't waste too much time and had a quick shower. The facilities were surprisingly good, and she was glad that she'd decided to smarten herself up. She walked quickly to the market, and then took her time going up and down the first two rows of stalls. She wanted to get the Weasleys something as a small 'Thank You' for their hospitality and knew that it should be a present for Molly, something for Molly herself rather than something for the house.

She was pleased to see that wizarding world had wraps akin to Pashminas and picked out a sumptuous olive-coloured one that was bordered with a dazzlingly sparkly gold, orange and silver design and matching slippers.

'That would look really great on you. It suits you,' said a familiar voice.

'Taking a bit of a stroll before lunch?' Jessica said looking up at Cedric. 'It's not for me, actually, it's for Mrs. Weasley – just a little token of my appreciation.'

'My mum would protest – but I think she'd like these herself,' Cedric said thoughtfully. 'Something a bit more subtle though…'

He pulled out a small bag and showed Jessica a picture of his mother. She was a rather stately woman with her fine robes and a simple strand of pearls.

'Mmm she's very elegant…' Jessica said as she began rifling through a pile of Pashminas.

She unearthed one that was a sumptuous royal blue trimmed with a simple black design at both ends.

'Now that's my mother, definitely.' Cedric said smiling.

Jessica unearthed the matching slippers.

'How much?' Cedric asked the vendor.

'Ten galleons for the set.'

'Ten?' Jesscia said idly. 'Forget it – we can do better than elsewhere. There must be at least twenty stalls selling these…'

She put both sets of Pashminas and slippers down and began to walk away.

'Tell you what I'm going to do – just for you mind – eight galleons each!'

Jessica snorted as she game the man a look of disdain.

'You must be having a laugh!'

'Alright – seven; but that will be my final offer on this!'

'Please – I could go to the whole of Asia and kit out my house for less than that… Those aren't worth more than two each tops.'

'I can see you are a woman who appreciates the finer things in life, Madame. But even an astute businesswoman such as yourself understand the needs of a simple merchant to turn a profit.

'And that's exactly why we'll give you three each; no more than that.'

'You drive a hard bargain Madame. But for such a beautiful lady with such remarkable eyes – DONE!' The vendor said with a clap.

He carefully wrapped each item and packed them away in elegant cloth bags which he put into rather gaudy shopping bags.

'Might I interest you in anything else – you will not find a better selection anywhere!'

'As a matter of fact…'

By the time they were done Jessica had Pashminas for herself in deep red and purple, respectively and several ornately carved wooden boxes with jewelry. She had only spent nine galleons and so felt very pleased. She and Cedric waited until they were near the Weasley tents before bursting into laughter.

'And what's all this?' Mr. Weasley said, clearly amazed by her packages and the site of she and Cedric doubling over with laughter.

'This,' Jessica said handing Mr. Weasley a bag. 'Is a thank-you from me for your kindness. Something for the missus.'

Mr. Weasley clearly didn't know what to say. He wished he had money enough to buy Molly nice things that other people took for granted, but she always said that her husband and family were more important to her than anything that could be bought with money. They had long learned to go without wanting anything that was unnecessary beyond the basics.

'Molly will like them – won't she?'

'She will indeed, my dear,' Mr. Weasley replied quietly. 'She will indeed. But this must have cost a small fortune!'

'Three galleons – for the whole set!' Cedric volunteered enthusiastically before giving Mr. Weasley the play-by-play account of their shopping expedition. 'You should have seen her, Mr. Weasley! Jessica was brilliant! I've never seen anything like it – even Dad isn't that good!'

'**_Three?_** Why, most of them are charging ten at least!'

'We can pay him a little visit after lunch if you like,' Jessica said with a grin. 'I won't even tell you what the jewelry cost…'

'I'd like that very much indeed Jessica, if you don't mind. I'm never any good at bartering!

'No problem at all. Why don't you relax and Cedric will help me get things organised.'

Mr. Weasley sat down in his armchair and put his feet up on a plump footstool. A piping hot mug of tea and the latest copy of Witch Gadgets magazine and he was a content man. Jessica packed her things away in her rucksack and then joined Cedric in the small kitchenette. They'd brought a hamper with them with leftovers from their meal the night before. A platter of Southern Fried and Barbecue Chicken was set out along with Potato Salad and tall pitchers of ice-cold Lemonade. There was a bread-and-butter pudding for dessert along with the customary British Custard.

'Boy am I starving!' Ron said as he barged into the tent rubbing his stomach.

'Even after whatever it was you bought from the food stalls?' his father said knowingly. 'Don't waste any more of what you've got on food; we've plenty here. Just remember the souvenirs you'll be wanting from the big match.'

Both Ron and Harry looked sheepish until George noticed their guest.

'What's he doing here!' said George.

'_He_ is having lunch with us and was good enough to help me with it,' Jessica replied tightly.

George said nothing as he began to set the table in their dining area, earning him a wry look from his father. Everyone returned on time as requested and lunch managed to be a rather animated affair, the underlying tensions between the twins and Cedric notwithstanding. The twins were still resentful about the Quidditch match Gryffindor had lost to Hufflepuff, but nothing Cedric had ever said or suggested could appease them. But they at least managed to be civil enough, unlike Harry who ignored the Hufflepuff Quidditch Captain for the most part.

Jessica could see that he was resenting her friendliness and camaraderie with Cedric. She and Harry would have to have a talk. If he was this bad about Cedric there would be no telling what he'd be like when school started.

'Kickoff between Brazil and Germany is in half an hour and I said we'd stop by at Lee's and walk over together,' Fred said looking at his watch.

'You'll need at least twenty minutes just to get to the stadium even from here – it was absolutely heaving at that end,' said Ginny. 'They've got some great souvenir stalls at that end, but you had to fight the crowds just to try and walk!'

'Dad – you coming?' George asked.

'I'll give this one a miss. It's just nice enough to have some time to myself. No need to get dragged into Ministry affairs here before I really have to… Barty Crouch looks like a man on a mission roping in anyone and everyone for nothing at all.'

'Jessica, are you coming to the match?' Ginny asked as she and Hermione cleared away the dishes.

'Yes – after I sort something else out. See you all up in the box…'

'Thanks for having me; it's been great,' Cedric said quietly as the Weasley children and their guests scampered for the stadium.

'You are welcome anytime, Cedric,' Mr. Weasley.

'I'll remember that, Sir.'

Once Cedric left Jessica turned her attention to Mr. Weasley.

'Let's sort out that present of yours for Molly, shall we?'

**xxxOOOxxx**

Jessica was pleased that she was able to help Mr. Weasley get something for his wife. They had found a lovely pair of ornate gold earrings with a matching necklace that were just her style. By the time Jessica got finished with her bargaining, the vendor was a frail shell of a man and Mr. Weasley felt as though he'd won a million galleons.

She left him and wove her way towards the stadium. Cedric had found some of his Housemates from Hufflepuff and was sitting with them outside a garishly decorated tent when she passed by. Jessica said hello to everyone after he called out to her, but said she couldn't stop for long – she was running late for the match.

'It'll be over before it even starts – Germany are absolute rubbish!' a bristle-headed boy snorted.

'Is that a fact, Summersby?' They almost saw off Bulgaria in the qualifiers,' sniffed a lovely oriental-looking girl that Jessica recognised as Cho Chang.'

Jessica found it hard to believe that she was going to be Cedric's date for the Yule Ball when he didn't seem to be too interested in her at the moment even with the Quidditch talk. Her heart broke every time she thought of the kind-hearted boy who deserved all the good things life had to offer. If there was one thing she hoped wouldn't be true, it was the deadly outcome of the Tri-Wizard Tournament, if indeed the tournament was going to happen and as it had been scripted by Joanne Kathleen Rowling.

'In your cotton-candy dreams, Chang. The only way Germany could win a match is to kill the other side!'

These were apparently fighting words, and a firestorm of an argument kicked off. Jessica hurried, but it wasn't enough to beat the hordes around the stadium. By the time she found the box, the game had started.

'Is Germany winning?' she asked breathlessly as she took a seat next to George.

'Are you joking? Those losers are even lucky to be here!' he roared.

Sure enough – if there was ever a bunch of Sad Sacks in competitive Quidditch – the national German team was it. In the time it took for her to finish her soft drink the match was over.

'God – that was anti-climatic!' Jessica sniffed as they made their way back to the tent.

'Miss Newkirk!' a chorus of voices called out from the same gang of Hufflepuffs that Jessica passed earlier. She quickly scanned the group and saw that Cedric wasn't amongst them. 'Miss Newkirk – how was it?'

'Germany got their bums kicked; one hundred seventy-six–nil!'

There was an almighty round of screaming laughter and 'I-told-you-so's directed at Cho, who flounced off with her friend Marietta Edgecombe in an almighty strop as Jessica passed them by. When she got back to the tent, Mr. Weasley was tied up with what had to be Ministry officials.

'Ahh, Jessica. Gentlemen – this is Jessica Newkirk, the newly promoted Head of Library Services at Hogwarts,' Mr. Weasley said cordially. 'Jessica, this is Bartemius Crouch, Amos you already know, Kingsley Shacklebolt and Ludo Bagman…'

After a round of handshaking and how-do-you-dos, Jessica excused herself so that she could go to the food stalls and sort out something for their dinner. The rest of the children followed suit and said they'd be back in time for dinner.

'And how is dear old Molly doing?' Bagman asked with a thinly-disguised leer as Jessica left.

She didn't need to be a seer to know what Mr. Weasley's reply was.

**xxxOOOxxx**

By the time Jessica finished the food shopping and returned to the tent, Mr. Weasley's visitors were gone. He was sat glumly in his seat with a rather hang-dog expression and she couldn't help but to feel sorry for him. It seemed like his once-in-a-lifetime opportunity did not come without significant strings attached. Still, it was a chance that many would give their eye teeth for.

'Being pressed into service are you?' she asked diplomatically.

'It's not often that so many of us are in one place together – everyone's expecting the worst because of the big match tonight. The rivalry is huge between Bulgaria and the Irish.'

Jessica didn't answer as she gave him a faint nod. She didn't want to think about that night's game between Bulgaria and Ireland; she didn't want to think about the horrors to come after it. The Librarian occupied herself with making their dinner, a spicy Jalfrezi curry with Basmati Rice and garlic and coriander naan bread. That was the brilliant thing about having wizards around from so many different cultures, there was the chance to see and experience new things Death Eaters notwithstanding. She focused on preparing their meal and tried not to obsess over things that might not actually happen. There was no point to whipping herself into a stressed-out frenzy and it raised too many questions that she just didn't need.

Harry and Ron were the first to return and she had them set the table. Ginny and Hermione were next and she sent them all to have a good wash.

'There's someone outside,' Ginny giggled.

She stood by the table with a smirk on her face looking at Jessica.

'Well don't just stand there – have whoever it is come in!' her father exclaimed tiredly.

'I was just passing by – thought I smelled Jalfrezi…' Cedric said, turning a bright shade of pink as Ginny brushed by him giggling.

'You know your curries, Mr. Diggory. If you've had a wash, pull up a seat. If not, get yourself sorted pronto.'

'I'm freshly scrubbed, ma'am! Oh, and I brought you this…'

Cedric handed Jessica a large bag filled with two huge tubs of ice cream.

'Oooo you really do know how to enjoy a good curry definitely!' Jessica sighed. 'Mmm I love chocolate…'

'Smart lad – you want to get what you can before my boys come back!' Mr. Weasley laughed.

As though on cue, the Twins came rolling in with Lee Jordan.

'Game time's in an hour and a half and…' Fred said breathlessly. He stopped short as he spotted Cedric. 'Moving in Diggory?'

'…and the sooner you get yourselves cleaned up the sooner we can have dinner,' Jessica said firmly.

'Holy Merlin, you're as bad as mum!' George sniffed. 'We just came that way…'

'When you do the cooking and cleaning, you can make the rules… I trust that you won't take too long since you know where it is.'

'She's got a point you know,' Lee said as they tore out the room and headed for the shower blocks.

Ten minutes later everyone was seated and tearing into the curry.

'This definitely tops beans on toast…' Bill sighed.

'…and burnt sausages!' Charlie added.

The talk continued on about food. There was a lot of good-natured ribbing about some of the boy's more interesting experiments over the years.

'…and he blew the **_whole back wall_** out of mum's kitchen!' Fred roared as he slapped Charlie on the back.

'…and nearly took the house down with it!' George crowed as he helped himself to more ice cream. 'It was ready to fall over when she and dad got home!'

'So say the ones who gave us the most violent case of Doxy food poisoning St. Mungo's had ever seen in five hundred years!' Charlie snapped.

'Well how were we supposed to know they weren't a substitute for venomous tentacula?' Fred asked innocently.

Hermione, Jessica and Cedric looked at each other then at the twins.

'You cooked this yourself – right Jessica?' Hermione asked shakily.

'I've had my eye on them; trust me – your bowels are safe…' the Librarian replied with a shudder.

'For tonight anyway,' Fred said sweetly.

But before anyone could take the twins at their own game, Mr. Weasley jumped out of his chair.

'Good heavens – we should have left ten minutes ago!' he shouted, pointing at his timepiece.

There was a mad scramble as the table was cleared and everyone went in search of their moneybags and purses. Cedric said goodbye and went to meet his father. There was one last frenzied check for Ginny's moneybag, which she'd actually had in a pocket and then the Weasley's and their guests finally set off.

There was none of the madness of earlier in the day and the venue had changed significantly for this most important of all matches. They had to make their way down a long wooded path that was lit with lanterns to show the way. The effect was nothing less than eerie and Jessica was struck by the profound, almost reverential silence that commanded their attention. There was no pushing or shoving; everyone was making their way in a calm and orderly fashion.

It was the proverbial quiet before the storm.

Finally they reached the stadium which was at least five times the size of the one they went to for the earlier match and far grander. Everyone bought their programmes and souvenirs and then slowly made their way to the skyboxes with Mr. Weasley leading the way.

A faint chill ran down Jessica's back.

'Someone's just walked over my grave…' she said in a hushed voice.

There was no reply.

There was another chill and then a lone thought crossed her mind; 'this is it – this is where it all starts…'


	25. The Quidditch World Cup

**Plot, new characters, new magical terms and abilities etc. are my intellectual property. If you want to borrow then please kindly ask. JK Rowling's characters and Wizarding Universe are all uniquely hers.**

**Summary: AU: What if everything we ever read in JK Rowling's books was real – including the people characterised? What would you do if you found yourself caught up in that reality knowing what was to come? SS, RL, OC **

**_Authors Note:_ _It has been mentioned in the story but now I am noting it here. I am a fan of Diana Gabaldon's 'Outlander'/'Cross Stitch' series and definitely was influenced by that in writing this story – i.e. the Standing Stones and traveling through time. But I also love Philip Pullman's 'His Dark Materials' series and the tv programme 'Sliders' and the alternate universes alongside ours idea comes from there no doubt._**

**Fantasy/Drama**

**This story is rated R/M.**

**ENIGMA**

**Chapter 025: The Quidditch World Cup**

Jessica followed Mr. Weasley into what was no doubt the best box in the stadium. She eyeballed the plush seats and sofas resplendent in a deep burgundy velvet, a fully-stocked bar with catered food and luxury private bathroom complete with shower.

'So this is how the other half live, eh?' Mr. Weasley whispered to her under his breath as Jessica wondered why in hell would a shower be necessary for spectators at a sporting event.

'Alright for some, isn't it?'

'We can sit where we like, but it looks like Minister Fudge and the Bulgarians have taken the best seats over there...'

'How about right there,' Jessica said, pointing. 'The boys'll still have a great view.'

Mr. Weasley nodded and ushered everyone to a cluster of seats and sofas near one of the floor-to-ceiling windows. Jessica's mind was racing a-mile-a-minute. Goblet of Fire described the box so differently to this. But this made a lot more sense. She'd gone to sporting and concert events in her world where she'd used Merrill Lynch's corporate boxes around the country. The book made the box sound like every other part of a stadium with its tiered seating. Yet this was like being in the V.I.P. room of an exclusive club, not dissimilar to what she'd been used to.

Jessica thought over the finer details of the chapters relating to this event in the book – by all accounts, Voldemort's most faithful servant was in this room, hidden by a cloak of invisibility. There were a number of seats that looked free, but even if she'd been able to pinpoint exactly where one Barty Crouch Junior actually was, there wasn't anything she could do about it. Or more to the point, there wasn't anything she should do about it according to Dumbledore and her own finely honed instincts.

The Librarian continued to look casually around the room. She was looking for a house-elf, one that figured prominently in the events of Book 4. But there was no elf to be found. And if there was no elf, then there surely couldn't be any Barty Crouch Jr. either. Or could there?

As she looked around, the Librarian felt someone looking at her. She found her gaze going to the opposite end of the room. She recognised a familiar pointed face with deep-set pale cold gray eyes and white-blond hair – Draco Malfoy. Seated with him were a man and woman who could only be his parents. She could see where he got his looks from, for he was the spitting image of his father. Lucius Malfoy had a decidedly aristocratic air as did his wife Narcissa. Mrs. Malfoy, however, also looked as though she'd just swallowed a bowl of cat sick as she realised she was meant to tolerate the presence of blood traitors, half-breeds and women who most definitely were not 'Ladies Who Lunch'. It was a shame that someone so attractive was so nasty.

Jessica pretended not to notice as Lucius gestured slightly towards her as he leaned down speaking with his only child.

All were mercifully distracted as Minister Fudge entered the box with Ludo Bagman and an assortment of other Ministry officials. While this was happening, a grimy little creature moved cautiously across the room towards two seats by Hermione, Harry and Ron. So that was a house-elf, she thought to herself as she ignored the house-elf's complaining about being up so high and how she didn't like it. Barty Crouch Senior was nowhere to be seen and the Librarian was set to jump out of her skin at the merest provocation.

Lucius rose to his feet and Jessica noted that everyone went to him, rather than the other way around.

'That is too much power for one man to have,' she whispered to Mr. Weasley.

Mr. Weasley turned slightly to look at her.

'You are one of the blessed few who truly sees it and sees the danger for what it is, my dear…' he whispered. 'Just remember that, will you?'

'Well I'm not going over there – I'm not on his payroll…'

'You are indirectly. And since you seem to have caught his attention don't be surprised if his school governor's privileges and influence starts extending to Library business – though I can't imagine that he'd take more than a passing interest. He doesn't read anymore than his son does. The Malfoys can consider themselves lucky that that their fortunes don't depend on their grades…'

Mr. Weasley excused himself and moved towards the centre of the box once the Minister was through with the senior Malfoy. Jessica observed as he did the customary polite hellos and ignored what undoubtedly were pointed remarks directed at him surreptitiously by Malfoy Senior. The Bulgarians were distracted by the sight of Harry's scar and then all eyes were on The Boy Who Lived, much to Percy's displeasure. He'd already been humiliated by the Minister in front of everyone by his continued insistence on referring to him as 'Weatherby'.

'Jessica; Jessica!' a voice interrupted her thoughts.

Mr. Weasley was beckoning for her to come over.

'Ahh,' said Fudge. 'So this is the newest addition to Hogwarts. Apparently you are giving our Ministerial Libraries a run for their galleons from what I have heard! A week doesn't go by without old Flitwick tormenting our poor Manager!'

'I wouldn't know,' Jessica replied innocently as she glanced at Hermione whispering to the house-elf. 'I just try to do the best I can with the budget we have.'

'Given how little of it has been used in the past, I would say so far, so good – so long as you don't get too extravagant! Fudge chortled.

'I'll do whatever I can so that we don't play second fiddle to Beauxbatons or Durmstrang…'

'And what would an American such as yourself know about European wizarding institutions?' Lucius enquired quietly.

Warning bells went off in Jessica's head. The last thing she needed was to be in the line of sight of a hardcore Death Eater. But it was a foolish thought really – it wouldn't be long before everyone would be a target regardless of what position they took. Everyone would be expendible even in the den of thieves that was the Death Eaters.

'Not very much, Mr. Malfoy; certainly no more than I do about those in the Americas,' she replied carefully. 'But it has been a big concern with most of the staff and more than a few parents. The idea the some parents would choose a Continental school over Hogwarts simply because of the facilities they offer doesn't sit well. One transfer out or offer declined is one too many and I've had to listen to no end of talk about it since I arrived.'

'A fine point indeed, Dear Lady. However the curriculum itself leaves much to be desired. _That_ is as much an issue as any supposed lack of facilities. And of course there is still the thorny little problem of the unfortunate selection process for admittance.'

Jessica fell silent, not wanting to dig an even deeper hole for herself.

'Oh come now, Lucius,' Fudge chortled. 'We certainly offer a first rate education and no one is admitted who…'

The Librarian used the opportunity to slip away to the bar. She took a place in line as the Minister and his companions proceeded to their seats as the debate carried on. There was a sudden clearing of the throat and the Minister picked up the microphone that appeared. He officially started the match and Jessica was grateful that everyone's attention was on the game.

'_And how are you finding your work at such a prestigious institution as Hogwarts,'_ came a cool voice.

Lucius had returned and sidled up to Jessica, much to his wife's obvious displeasure.

'It's fine – quite a challenge; but a very good one,' Jessica said calmly.

'It is certainly a change from your previous role.'

'That it is.'

'One thing intrigues me about you above all that I have been told.'

'And that is?'

'How on earth could a witch stomach working for _Muggles_! Being a Librarian is thankless enough. And to have lived amongst them – very peculiar indeed.'

'Ahh, well I've done other things in my career but I love books and antiquities. The British Library is a very prestigious institution even if it is run by Muggles. I worked hard to get the job and then I took it as far as I could go with it. Minerva and the Headmster made me an offer I couldn't refuse – I like being my own boss to a degree. And my mother thought it was important for me to understand Muggles beyond how to make tea without magic and take a train without getting lost. What we learn in our world is pretty useless for the most part. We stand out like sore thumbs especially in those moments we need to pass unnoticed by them – like here, for example.

'Somehow I can't imagine that you manage to pass unnoticed by anyone, a blessing and a curse – depending,' Lucius said quietly. 'And you are a relation of Minerva McGonagall's; very good indeed although to some it might appear to be nepotism at work.'

'I just want to do the best job I can with what I have, Sir. And I do think that if there had been someone else more qualified then that someone would have gotten the job.'

'No need for such formalities…' Lucius began.

'Goodness me, the service here is quite dreadful if it takes this long to be served,' Narcissa Malfoy sniffed as she stood next to her husband. 'And you are…?'

'Nobody,' Jessica said drily as the trophy wife looked at her appraisingly.

'With a lineage such as yours; your modesty is…intriguing,' Lucius said slowly.

'My lineage?'

'Yours is an ancient and noble house. Not quite as ancient nor as old and prominent as mine or my wife's, but still respected just the same. No dilution – despite this rather insane need to understand your inferiors.'

'Oh – you're referring to my family being _pure-blooded_?' Jessica said innocently, but knowing full well the effect her words would have.

'**_Really?'_** Narcissa asked scathingly, clearly very surprised, but not willing to believe her own ears.

'There is very little I haven't ascertained about you and every other employee and student at Hogwarts. I am on the Board of Governors, after all. I have a responsibility to know these things.'

'Right – of course you do…'

'Offended, are you Miss Newkirk?' Narcissa asked.

'_So you know me now, don't you Bitch,'_ Jessica thought to herself.

'Why on earth would I be offended? I wouldn't have been hired without the approval of the governors as I understand it. I understand how important these things are.'

'Good,' said Lucius. 'It's good to know that you understand and respect our role, Miss Newkirk.'

'If you'll excuse me, I should be getting back to my party…'

Lucius dismissed his wife after a quick word in her ear. Narcissa wasn't best pleased, but she did as she was told.

'Let me give you some advice, Jessica… (the way he said her name…it was almost a delicious purr)… You want to be very careful whom you associate with. Oh I understand that you are new to these shores, but you have been in our little world here long enough. You don't want to become known for hanging around the wrong sort. You could do quite well for yourself, provided you curb certain…tendencies. _It was kind of dear old Weasley to bring you along rather than his own wife; _and no one could blame you for taking him up on such divine luck anymore than they could fault him for having better taste in women than I could have imagined. Who wouldn't sell their soul to some devil to be here especially on your rather meagre salaries – although you certainly do very well, much better than he… Be that as it may, you can certainly do better than the likes of Arthur Weasley and the rest of _them_ – and you should do for your own sake. It's entirely up to you, but don't think you have all the answers. You don't, that I can assure you.'

The silkiness of his voice gave her goose pimples. Jessica hadn't thought about him nearly as much as she should, and it had been some job to not trip herself up with him. This wasn't going to be the last time she'd have to deal with him; she hadn't passed unnoticed, no indeed she hadn't.

'There is **_nothing_** between me and Arthur Weasley!' she grumbled resentfully.

Good Lord – after all Lucius Malfoy had said, the best she could do was confirm that she wasn't shagging the man he considered a blood traitor and disgrace to the name of wizard! Jessica was ready to kill herself…

There was no reply from her tormentor, just a simple smile that set Jessica's nerves on edge. The man made her feel like she had to explain herself and about things that made no sense. She needed to be careful, lest she ended up on the wrong side of his wand, but this was something different. He seemed to know an awful lot about her – and her presumed bloodlines.

Just where and how did he come up with that? And why on earth had someone even gone there in the first place? Since she was obviously known as a pure-blood, just what would that mean after Voldemort made a full return?

**xxxOOOxxx**

'Lucius Malfoy seems quite…interested in you,' Arthur said carefully as they made their way back to the tent.

'He's the last man on earth I want interested in me,' Jessica replied glumly.

'It was inevitable, I'm afraid. And it comes as no surprise. There isn't one corner of Hogwarts where he doesn't exert his influence – no different to the Ministry. You are quite an enigma, Jessica – and in many ways it's very attractive. This mystery that begs to be solved…'

'There's nothing mysterious about me…'

'Isn't there?'

'Oh come on Jessica – you can't be so grim on a night like this! WE WON!!! WE BLOODY WON!!!' George roared as he turned back.

Ireland had won the match, but Viktor Krum had gotten the Snitch. The twins were crowing about their big bet with Ludo Bagman and all the gold they'd won off him. Everyone was celebrating wildly all around them. There were bonfires as far as the eye could see and it would be no small feat if any of them managed to get some sleep.

They all finally piled into the tent where every single move of the game was analysed several times. Mr. Weasley finally called time when Jessica and Ginny fell asleep at the dining table. Jessica fell onto her bed with visions of that evenings conversations with Lucius Malfoy tormenting her as she fell fast asleep.

**xxxOOOxxx**

'Jessica, Jessica!' came Arthur's voice as hands gripped her tightly.

'Wake up! You have to take the children and get out of here!' Mr. Weasley shouted as he tried to get her to get up.

'_No!'_ Jessica whispered as her eyes adjusted to the faint light in the room.

All of the singing and merriment from before was gone. There was nothing but screaming and a pounding that sounded almost like an earthquake.

Fortunately she hadn't changed her clothes. She pulled her boots and a sweatshirt on as Mr. Weasley woke up Ginny and Hermione.

'Here – get these on, quick!' Jessica ordered as she tossed them both a pair of jeans.

'What's going on?' Hermione asked, her voice quivering with fear.

'No time – come on!' Jessica said as she grabbed their hands and pulled them outside behind Mr. Weasley.

Acrid smoke filled the air and they could see cluster after cluster of tents on fire. The earthquake was literally hundreds and hundreds of witches and wizards of all ages running for their lives. Something was moving almost supernaturally, coming towards them and forcing people to flee in its wake. Screams of unholy terror filled the night as sonic boom after boom echoed across the fields. There were other sounds too – sounds of drunken taunts and loud cracks.

In the distance a small group was marching, but as the group drew closer it swelled. They could now make out masked figures at the centre of the affray. They wore black hoods over their heads and hideous skull masks that looked almost like bone with real veins pumping blood. Jessica's eyes were forced up and as she'd expected, there were the Muggle caretaker, Mr. Roberts, his wife and children being drawn along like cartoon character balloons in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. They were upside down – and clearly conscious. Mrs. Roberts was tugging in vain to keep her underwear on as some invisible force finally pulled them free of her body. The clothes of the entire family finally went and wave after wave of wizards joined in with the cruel dirty taunts. It was clear what was going to happen to all of them.

'Oh my God!' Jessica wailed. 'They're only kids – almost babies!'

'That's sick,' Ron spat as he tried not to heave. 'That's twisted and sick!'

Percy came up behind Mr. Weasley along with Bill and Charlie.

'We've got to help the Ministry!' Mr. Weasley shouted. 'Jessica – get the kids to the woods and stay put until I come to get you! You lot listen to her and do what she tells you – no arguments! Especially you two!' he roared, gesturing at the twins.

'Come on!' Jessica shouted as the crowd came closer. 'Harry, Ron – grab onto Ginny and Hermione and don't let go no matter what happens! Fred and George, stick to me like glue!'

The little group ran for it as hard as they could. The lanterns had been extinguished in the woods and they felt themselves colliding with unseen figures. Harry swore under his breath as someone reached out and heaved him up.

'Are you alright?' Jessica asked?

'Yeah – just tripped on something is all…'

'Good Lord – Lumos!' Jessica hissed angrily.

If Hermione was surprised that it worked, it didn't register on her face as Jessica shone the narrow beam of light around.

'No surprise there, four eyes,' someone drawled.

Jessica whirled around and shone the light in the line of the voice. Draco Malfoy was standing calmly with a slightly bemused air – too calm for Jessica's liking.

'Fuck off and die, Malfoy!' Ron hissed.

'Language, wizard trash, language! You're a waste of space. Better hurry along since you're with _her!_' Draco sneered as he jerked his head towards Hermione.

'And what's that supposed to mean?' Ron snapped.

'God you are thick! They're Muggles and the Mudblood's no better than one!'

'Use what few brain cells you have working and shut your mouth, Mr. Malfoy!' Jessica said darkly. 'It never ceases to amaze me how stupid you really are!'

'Why who do you…' Draco snarled as he stepped closer. He stopped when he saw that it was the Hogwarts Librarian he was about to curse rather than one of the Gryffindors he hated with a passion that bordered on insanity.

'Just wait 'till my father hears…'

'That's right – go crying to Daddy! Thing is, your father won't always be around; and then what will you do?'

'Come on Miss Newkirk,' Hermione mumbled. 'It's not worth it!'

'Somebody needs to save him from himself – the fool!'

Jessica looked around after they began storming away from the petulant Slytherin.

'Dammit! Where's Fred, George and Ginny?'

Suddenly there were screams – a chorus of screams. 'No – not my wife, not my babies! Please!' someone shouted. There were more shouts and leering catcalls.

'Do them all!' someone roared with a resounding 'Yeah!' in response.

'Oh my god!' Hermione shrieked. 'Jessica!'

'Come on,' Jessica roared as she pulled the quivering girl along. 'Get your wands out – this will quicker if we can see where the hell we're going better!'

Ron and Hermione whipped out their wands but Harry stopped dead in his tracks and looked around frantically.

'My wand – I've lost my wand!'

'Oh fuck', Jessica moaned. 'We can't look for it now – we have to get out of here!'

There was a rustling noise in a clump of trees to their left.

'Winky doesn't like it,' came a small squeak. A familiar grimy little creature with large jug ears and a squashed tomato of a noise tried to move forward, but seemed to be held back at the same time. 'There is bad wizards about, people is high in the air! Winky don't want to be high up again! Winky wants to get away!

'Why is she acting like that' Ron asked in amazement.

'She probably doesn't have permission to hide,' Jessica said irritably. 'No matter what she wants to do she's bound to her Master.'

This kicked off a tirade from Hermione about how the house-elf was afraid of heights, but had been forced to go to the box and hold a seat for Mr. Crouch who had the nerve to not even show up! And goodness knows she was probably bewitched to not run away, so of course she can't run away from bad wizards!

'You heard her before,' Ron sniffed. 'House-elves aren't supposed to have fun! House-eves are supposed to do what they are told! That's what she likes – she likes being bossed around!'

'It's people like you that are the reason why there is so much intolerance and injustice and…'

Yet another squabble at the wrong time – and Jessica wasn't having it.

'I see your point, Hermione. But this is not the time or place. There are people being tortured and raped out there and we need to find someplace to hide – quick!'

They veered off the road and followed a thin dusty trail into what had to be the heart of the woods. It was quiet – dead quiet.

'Let's stop here – we should be alright,' Jessica said hesitantly. 'Get behind these boulders…'

There was a faint rustling and the Ludo Bagman stumbled from behind some bushes.

'Erm – what's going on?'

'The Muggle caretaker and his wife are being paraded around like marionettes by some people in masks…' Jessica answered. She also said what she thought was happening to them and anyone unfortunate enough to cross the mob…

'Damn them, that's all I need right now…'

Bagman disappeared with a faint _pop!_

'Effing waste of space he is!' Jessica snarled.

'Mad – the whole bloody thing is just mad!' Harry said. 'Why even do it – and especially with the Ministry here tonight and…'

He was cut short by a crunching noise.

_Footsteps._

Harry craned his head around Jessica, who was holding him back. He couldn't see very far, but he knew that someone was there.

So did Jessica.

'Show yourself, you bastard!' she screamed. 'Come on you coward scum – show yourself!'

'Are you nuts?' Ron whispered incredulously.

'They couldn't do it if people didn't support them Ron!' Jessica hissed. 'People who don't stand for something will fall for anything!'

The deafening silence was broken by a guttural yell. _'MORSMORDRE!'_

The trio clung to Jessica as something vast, glittering and green streaked upwards from the black upon black darkness Harry had strained to see. Harry didn't see him, but Jessica did. She knew without a doubt that the man in the blackness was Barty Crouch Junior.

'Is it another Leprechaun?' Harry asked uneasily.

'No – worse!' Jessica shouted as she took off running.

'JESSICA! JESSICA COME BACK!' the trio screamed as the Dark Mark took shape in the night sky above. 'DON'T LEAVE US! COME BACK!'

Screaming erupted all around them as people emerged from hiding places and began running as fast as their legs could carry them. But Harry, Ron and Hermione didn't dare leave. At least Jessica knew where they were, and if anything she could lead Mr. Weasley back to them if she found him.

They were left in the heart of the forest, well and truly alone.

**xxxOOOxxx**

Jessica could still see him as she ran hard on his heels. She aimed her wand and hurled hex after hex that she could think of. Something began to smoke up ahead; she could only hope that it was him.

'Goddamn you!' she yelled. 'You fucking low-life bastard!'

It was the last thing she said before the world turned upside down and went pitch black.


	26. Under the Moon and Over the Sky

**Plot, new characters, new magical terms and abilities etc. are my intellectual property. If you want to borrow then please kindly ask. JK Rowling's characters and Wizarding Universe are all uniquely hers.**

**Summary: AU: What if everything we ever read in JK Rowling's books was real – including the people characterised? What would you do if you found yourself caught up in that reality knowing what was to come? SS, RL, OC **

**_Authors Note:_ _It has been mentioned in the story but now I am noting it here. I am a fan of Diana Gabaldon's 'Outlander'/'Cross Stitch' series and definitely was influenced by that in writing this story – i.e. the Standing Stones and traveling through time. But I also love Philip Pullman's 'His Dark Materials' series and the tv programme 'Sliders' and the alternate universes alongside ours idea comes from there no doubt._**

**Fantasy/Drama**

**This story is rated R/M.**

**ENIGMA**

**Chapter 026: Under the Moon and Over the Sky**

Jessica was paralysed as her tormenter whirled her like a top from her ankles. Whoever it was would set her spinning and then stop abruptly. She'd vomited uncontrollably at one point, and that had made things worse. The deranged hoard was baying for her blood.

Why weren't these people afraid of the Dark Mark as Rowling had portrayed in the fourth book?

There were shouts followed by a sea of upturned faces. A flash of white light hit somewhere below and the crowd began to disperse as fast as their legs would carry them. Jessica began to freefall and slowed just before she hit the ground. She was covered in vomit. Her semi-naked body was bloody and bruised from the torturous hexes and curses she'd been subjected to. She began to cry as a thundering herd ran past her. Some literally jumped over her, kicking her in the process, as though she were nothing more than the flora of the landscape. Someone wanted to do more than that when he realised the heap he'd collided with was a woman without very many clothes on – but was almost knocked out by a deadly beam of yellow light. The man was helped to his feet by some unknown persons and hurried away as yet another beam of light was aimed in his direction.

'Jessica,' Cedric said anxiously as he pocketed his wand and dropped down beside her in the melee.

She recoiled at his touch, screaming 'NO!', her mind not yet registering that he was no enemy.

'It's me, Jessica; it's Cedric,' the Hufflepuff said gently as he took her into his arms. 'It's Cedric – I wouldn't hurt you… I'd never do that…'

'C…Cedric?' she croaked.

'Yes…' he answered as he looked up at the violently bright green Dark Mark hovering over the landscape. 'I need to get you away from here…'

Cedric took off the oversized sweatshirt he'd been wearing and hurriedly put it on her after administering some cleansing spells, apologizing for hurting her as she cried out in agony. He scooped her up in his arms as though she were a rag doll and walked as quickly as he was able, looking for a place where they would be alright until things calmed enough to make their way back to the tents. There was so much devastation and confusion; it was hard to get his bearings.

He moved deep into the woods, noting that the pandemonium grew fainter the further he went. There was an eerie dead calm as he prepared a space for them in the shelter of some great boulders. Given everything that was happening, it was unlikely that anyone would venture this way. The last thing most people would want was to be so isolated. But Cedric reckoned that for a change there wasn't safety in numbers.

He and Jessica would wait it out.

**xxxOOOxxx**

'Mmm,' Jessica moaned softly as she opened her eyes. 'Cedric?'

'I'm here,' came a soft reply. 'We're safe for now…'

The young Hufflepuff looked down at her, wishing he could actually see her face in the darkness. But he didn't dare make a light for them in case there were dark wizards or bands of yobs roaming nearby. He'd manage to clean Jessica up and conjured the sweatshirt so that it was much longer and could protect her modesty.

'You are incredibly brave,' the Librarian murmured. 'If you hadn't come upon me… Nobody else would help me.'

Cedric's only answer was to hold her tighter – and to kiss her gently on the forehead.

'I wouldn't let anyone hurt you,' he said at last. 'They'll have to kill me before they can get to you – and I won't make it easy for them to do that.'

Jessica leaned into him, hear head resting on his chest. She wasn't sure if it was his heart beating so fast and so loud or her own as she sat between his legs. He was rubbing her back a bit and she tried not to think about how good and comforting it felt; of all things to be happening –and of all times.

'We are alone here – aren't we?' she asked slowly.

'Yes…' Cedric answered clearing his throat. 'Are you alright?'

'I am – thanks to you…'

'It's nothing…'

'You are too modest, Mr. Diggory. Too modest indeed… I don't know what I would have done without you… You've done much more than just nothing.'

'I was so worried; I went looking for you… I just wanted to… I couldn't bear it if…' Cedric said hoarsely. 'I'd do anything for you, Jessica, honestly I would!'

'I know,' Jessica murmured, just before his lips found hers in the darkness.

They began to kiss, and her mouth opened at the prompting of his tongue. Cedric was so passionate in such a sweet and earnest way that Jessica felt herself melting into his caresses.

'Do you like me – even just a little?' he murmured as he pulled away reluctantly.

Inwardly, Jessica protested as he put a little distance between them. Every cell in her body was crying out for him again. They were in dangerous territory, extremely dangerous territory. There was a sudden break in the cloud cover and they could see each other for the first time. Cedric's face was an absolute picture. He looked so pensive, so afraid of the rejection he felt certain was coming. She couldn't bring herself to tell him anything but the truth.

'I like you, Cedric; I like you a lot and I have done for a while now it's true,' she murmured as she reached up and touched his face.

'But I'm just a student…' he replied bitterly.

Jessica didn't answer as the handsome Hufflepuff searched her face for more clues. Their eyes finally met and he reached out and began to stroke her face as he moved next to her once more. Both of them were well aware of the other's regard. Cedric was a frequent visitor to the Library, always in search of help he really didn't need. He and Jessica always lost track of time as they talked about all manner of things and he found that he thought a lot about her when he couldn't get to see her. His eyes would search the stands in vain during each Quidditch match, hoping she was there and taking notice of him.

'I'm just a student,' he repeated softly.

The minutes ticking by felt like hours as he waited in silence. Why didn't she agree and politely dismiss him? Or get angry? She must find the whole thing too funny – a nobody like him wanting to be with a real woman like her. It's not like he had much to offer her, not while he was still at school anyway. Why was he making such a fool himself?

Cedric pulled Jessica back into his arms and held her once more. Even if this one moment was all he ever had with her, the most he could ever hope for, he wanted it. They couldn't help how they were brought together like this; but they were together right here, right now. And Jessica wasn't protesting against it even if she believed she should. There was something about the shock and trauma of tonight that was bringing them together. But it was more than just comfort… at least it was for him.

'Jessica,' he murmured before kissing her again.

This time her arms went up around his neck and what happened between them was heated. Cedric devoured her, not wanting it to ever end. He felt himself getting hard and couldn't have stopped it even if he'd wanted to. He moaned softly as he kissed her face and her neck, his hands running through her long hair.

The moon went behind the clouds again, but in his mind's eye he could still see her face filled with wanting. He eased her down and Jessica pulled him on top of her. He thrust the bulge in his pants hard against her as he lay between her legs.

'Cedric,' she moaned softly as his exquisite hands explored her body. 'Cedric… take your time; I'm not going anywhere…'

**xxxOOOxxx**

The noise in the distance had died down some time ago. Cedric and Jessica thought over and over that it was probably OK to make their way back, but it was several hours before they finally gave into reason. Both were reeling from everything that had happened that night, but especially what had happened between them.

In the end they hadn't had full-on sex, but came damn near close to it. He'd taken off his pants and rubbed against her, mentally cursing himself for being such a damn coward as he did as much as he dared, but with his underwear on. He did want to be with her like that – he just didn't want _it_ to happen here and like this. Still, she was a real woman, not some giggling air-headed girl or tart. He was ready for something real and true – and he wanted it with her. Jessica was the one he had feelings for, plain and simple. But this situation wasn't so plain and it definitely wasn't simple. Being with Jessica was so different to the girls at school. He could talk to her about anything and everything and they could have a good laugh… Even when they strongly disagreed with each other, they always managed to calm down and agree to disagree. And when they would see each other the next time, their barney was forgotten and all was forgiven.

'I just wanted you to know how much I like you,' Cedric said as he conjured a pair of pants for Jessica from a small piece of material taken from his own. 'And it's more than that; it really is…'

'I know…' she answered uneasily. 'Cedric I just… I don't… I can't… Oh, God…'

He watched as she pulled up the pants and buttoned them before braiding her hair.

'You liked it at least?' he asked worriedly as he sat on a boulder. 'I don't regret it and I hope you don't…'

The Librarian walked over to him, her heart filled with a tightness she hadn't felt since her split with Severus all those months ago.

'You are one of the few people I could ever regret anything with' she said gently as she stood between his legs and felt his arms go around her. She ran her hands through his hair and couldn't help but think how damn lucky fucking Cho Chang was going to be, the stupid cow.

'This is my last year and I'm an adult now. When I leave school… If you still like me… If you want to… Do I stand a chance – a real chance?'

'Oh Cedric!'

The young Hufflepuff looked up at her, his grey eyes moist and filled with hope.

'I'm so much older than you…'

'You might be older, but you aren't old enough to be my mother. And age doesn't matter Jessica, we both know that. Nobody would bat an eyelash; the only things people give a toss about are bloodlines, connections and money and none of those things matter to me.'

'I don't want make promises, Cedric; it wouldn't be fair or right. It's a long time 'till the end of the school year…'

'_You aren't even going to be alive then,'_ Jessica thought to herself. Despite everything she'd experienced so far, a lot of what Rowling had written with major plot lines was holding up. And Cedric's death played an important role not just for Harry Potter, but for the wizarding world at large. He was so innocent in many ways, so pure. He was good, kind, brave and phenomenally loyal. He deserved so much more than she was with what time he had left.

'If nothing has happened with someone else for either of us; and we both still feel the same (or more…) – can you at least consider it?'

'Don't waste your life on me! Don't put off someone who could be good for you because of some romantic notion about me! You can do better, Cedric, even if you can't see it right now!'

'I don't have this with anyone else! If I did, this couldn't have happened! I'm not like that, Jessica!'

'No – no you aren't; I guess that's why it was too damn easy for me to lose my head.'

Cedric smiled ruefully as he looked up at her.

'I don't want you to regret it… This was the worst night of my life, but it was the best too. You were the only good thing about coming here.'

'Please – you love Quidditch more than you could ever love me!'

'No,' Cedric replied firmly as he stood up. 'I'm not Oliver Wood, not by a long-shot. I could never love anything or anyone as much as I love you.'

'Really?' Jessica asked in a small voice, not wanting to look at him.

'Yes,' came a stern reply as Cedric tilted her head up and then wiped away her tears.

Jessica had never come first with anyone she'd been with, not even Severus. If she had, her life would have turned out quite differently. Cedric was usually the strong, silent type – that is around everyone else except her. Perhaps that was what falling in love did to people; it made them come out of their shells in a way with the object of their affection that just wasn't possible otherwise.

'Please give me a chance,' Cedric whispered as he held her. 'I'll wait as long as I have to for you…'

His mouth sought hers once more and it was another hour before they finally started making their way back to Mr. Weasley's tent and the grim realities of that night and an uncertain future.

**xxxOOOxxx**

Jessica and Cedric made their way down the path towards the campsite, the neon green Dark Mark was little more than a faint blob in the sky overhead. They held hands as they walked, and he was the only thing that kept her from being afraid. There was an uneasy stillness as they took in smoldering ruins. There was some light here and there in tents where people were packing up. It was futile however, at the minute there was no transport out for anyone.

Finally Mr. Weasley's tent came into view, but Cedric didn't let go of her hand until they were a few steps from it.

'I love you Jessica; no matter what happens, just remember that I do love you a lot…' he murmured before they stepped uneasily into the tent.

**xxxOOOxxx**

'Diggory! What are you…' a viperous voice came from the kitchen.

A tall figure in midnight black robes flew at him, and then stopped short when he realised who was with the young Hufflepuff.

'Miss Newkirk,' Snape said slowly.

'Hello to you too, Professor…' Jessica replied wearily.

Cedric began to tell the Potions Master what he'd heard about that night's horrors, and what he'd witnessed for himself.

'Cedric saved my life,' Jessica added. 'If he hadn't turned up – I don't even want to think about about what else they would have done to me.'

'In the end it seems they just didn't care about targeting the only Muggles for miles,' Snape answered after detailing rather gruesome facts of the aftermath of the Cup just as Mr. Weasley burst into the tent.

'Oh – thank Merlin you arrived! The children will be back shortly but no one has seen Jessica…' the red-headed man began. 'Severus…'

'She's right here Arthur. Young Diggory here fought off one of those… those… _marauding_ bands of yobs and rapists and brought her back!'

Mr. Weasley walked over to Cedric and put a steadying arm around his shoulders.

'You're a good lad, Cedric. There aren't many who would risk their lives for someone else.'

'What they did Mr. Weasley… _what they wanted to do to her_…'

'I know, son; I know… Severus, I think the sooner we all get out of here the better.'

Snape nodded as he looked at Jessica. There was so much he needed to say, but this wasn't the time or place. He took in the sight of her in Diggory's clothes – and wanted to tear his eyes out and rip those ridiculous clothes off her they were so ill-fitting. It was mad – after all, the boy had needed to do something for her and it was no less than any other competent wizard would have done. Still, it rankled the Potions Master to no end that the handsome boy (he refused to acknowledge him as a man even though he was legally a man now) had been the one to come to Jessica's rescue.

'Arthur; I've arranged for _immediate_ transport… '

Snape gave him a knowing look and Arthur returned it with a faint nod of the head.

'Cedric, your father is with Minister Fudge and Barty Crouch. You are to come back with us; I have your things here,' Mr. Weasley said as took a seat and dropped a large rucksack on the floor. 'I just need a few minutes to catch my breath and then we should think about leaving.'

The Weasley children and Harry and Hermione returned and filed in wearily. There was a barrage of chatter as they and Jessica and Cedric compared notes.

'I need to make use of the facilities before we go,' Snape said curtly before entering the boy's room. He would conjure a bathroom rather than risk being seen using the campsite facilities. The evidence could be done away with quite easily – he was a wizard after all. Besides which, none of the Ministry inspectors was around to even think about a fine for an illegal toilet.

Raised voices reached his ears through the shut door. Potter's was loudest of all.

'_HE HAS NO RIGHT!!!' The Boy Who Lived screamed. 'HE'S GOT NO FUCKING RIGHT TO…'_

'_Harry for once in your life TRY to see reason!' Mr. Weasley countered. 'You think you have all the answers; but trust me you don't know half of what you think you do!'_

'_DO YOU? DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT SHE'S BEEN THOUGH BECAUSE OF HIM? DO YOU?'_

'_STOP IT HARRY!' Jessica screamed. 'GODDAMN IT TO HELL! WHY CAN'T YOU KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT!'_

Snape supposed Jessica had stormed out of the tent. From the sounds of things it sounded like Diggory went after her. If he hadn't been in the throws of Montezuma's revenge he would taken off after her himself. Things might be quiet at the moment, but they couldn't assume that it would stay that way.

'_Harry that's enough!' Bill said heatedly. 'It's been a long night and now is not the time for yet another pointless argument!'_

'_You aren't the only one close to her,' George sniffed. 'And you aren't the only one who cares about her either!'_

'_BUT HE'S ONE OF THEM! HE'S...!'_

'_ENOUGH! YOU WILL KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT BEFORE YOU LAND US IN EVEN MORE TROUBLE THAN WE ALREADY ARE!' Mr. Weasley roared in an uncharacteristic display of temper. 'Get your things packed, all of you! We're leaving immediately!''_

'_But the earliest emergency portkeys aren't available until later this morning…' Fred said tentatively. 'I overheard Mr. Diggory say…'_

'_That's not entirely true. There are Portkeys being activated even as we speak; there just aren't enough of them at the moment so it's not common knowledge. Anyway it doesn't matter; Severus has been good enough to sort something out for us. Given what's happened, the sooner the girls are away from here the better…' his father answered. 'It's not safe for anyone, least of all anyone female. I will trust all of you not to speak about anything that's happened tonight – and especially the fact that Severus rescued us all. As far as everyone else is concerned, we stayed the night here and took the first Portkey to Stoatshead early – at least there's some benefit to working for the Ministry…'_

'_Wouldn't it be better if someone actually saw us leaving tomorrow?' Hermione asked._

'They will,' Snape answered tensely as he emerged from his makeshift bathroom and closed the door behind him. There was a low crackle, and the illegal room disappeared. 'It's already taken care of.'

'Thanks Professor,' Charlie said. 'I for one don't want to spend anymore time here than I absolutely have to!'

Murmurs of agreement flew around the room. Dawn wasn't that far off, but no one wanted to see the carnage in broad daylight.

'Get your things – we don't have much time…' Snape instructed just as Jessica and Cedric walked back into the tent. He looked around the room, ignoring the deadly glares from Harry. Jessica was visibly upset, beyond angry, and it was all Potter's fault. Damn that pseudo boy wonder and his wind-clapper of a mouth! 'Aren't we short by one?'

'Merlin's Beard… It's Percy!' Mr. Weasley sighed wearily.

'Sucking up to Fudge and his lot; I saw him with them on our way back,' said George. 'What's the point when his boss can't even get his bloody name right?!'

'Blast it! I told him to come straight back here! Since he started working directly with the Minister there's no telling him anything,' said Mr. Weasley replied wearily.

'D'you think we should stay then?' Ron asked worriedly.

'No – I don't,' his father answered 'Get your things, all of you. We're getting out of here.'

**xxxOOOxxx**

Snape had taken them to his illegal Portkey, but didn't come with them as the weary group made their way up the drive to the Weasley's home. There were unspoken questions about why he'd turned up and where he was going; but Harry kept his mouth shut still stinging brutally from the tongue –lashing Jessica had given him in private just before they left.

The Librarian had questions of her own, but couldn't forget how her former boyfriend had treated her. She couldn't just fall into his arms even if that had been what she wanted. And the thing was that for the first time in a long time, Jessica Newkirk didn't want to be with Severus Snape. She was as sure of it as she needed air to breathe. But a small voice nagged her – was it because of Cedric? _If things hadn't come out into the open with she and the Hufflepuff Quidditch Captain, would she be feeling so strongly that she didn't want to be with the Potions Master?_

Mrs. Weasley flew out the front door at the first sight of them from a sitting room window.

'Oh Merlin! I was so worried!' she howled in tears as she clutched the early morning edition of the _Daily Prophet _with its horrifying pictures from the Quidditch World Cup, including one of the Dark Mark illuminating the night sky.

It was good to be home where everyone at least felt safe. Once she was satisfied that everyone was alright it became clear that they needed sleep more than anything else.

'I'm going to hit the road,' Jessica said quietly. 'I'll drop off Cedric on my way…'

'You shouldn't drive when you haven't had much sleep; and after all that…' Hermione countered.

'I've intruded long enough. I'm sticking my plan same as before. I've still get my reservation at the motel and I intend to use it,' Jessica said assuredly. 'You, on the other hand, need to get some rest and finish your homework. You've still got another two weeks and a bit so make the most of the time you have left.

'Cedric, your father sent word that he'll be back in a day or so,' Mrs. Weasley said. 'Ministry business, he's got to get up to London after all this. He's alerted your mother and she'll be back at the end of the week from your Uncle's. Your Aunt Martha is still poorly and she doesn't want to leave her just yet if she doesn't have to…'

'Fine; I'm used to being by myself.'

'Oh, but you are more than welcome to stay here dear! It's a bit cramped but we can make room for one more…'

'Thanks Mrs. Weasley,' Cedric said evenly. 'But I'll be fine at home, really. You've got enough with this crowd.'

Everyone said their goodbyes and then Jessica and Cedric climbed into her 4x4.

They watched in her review mirror as everyone piled into the house as they drove off.

Finally, they were alone again.

**xxxOOOxxx**

Jessica drove up to the Diggory home and turned off the ignition. It was a large house secured behind high gated walls. It was clear a family of reasonable means lived here, but it looked so empty. Jessica began to realise that as an only child with working parents who had an active social life and responsibilties, Cedric probably spent a lot of time alone when he wasn't in the company of adults. It explained a lot, and she felt quite sorry for him.

'I guess this is it,' she said softly, flushing slightly as the sun began to rise faintly on the horizon.

Cedric didn't reply as he leaned over and engaged her in a kiss.

'We can't do this – not when we're back at Hogwarts,' Jessica murmured as she pulled away momentarily and looked up at the burly young man.

'No – we can't,' he replied before kissing her again.

Jessica returned his kisses passionately, but it was different this time. She had been so contained before and now, now she was allowing him to know how she felt.

'Come in with me,' Cedric begged as he placed a hand over hers. 'Even if it's just for a little while… I just want to be with you – just a little bit more… I'm not ready to loose you – not yet… Please Jessica…'

The Librarian couldn't find the words to speak and simply nodded her agreement. They made their way into the house and up to his bedroom.

'I wouldn't mind having a shower first,' Jessica said through a yawn.

Cedric showed her into his en-suite bathroom and turned on the shower.

'It'll be easier if we kill two birds with one stone,' Jessica said softly, throwing all caution to the wind.

She pulled his t-shirt out of his pants and then off of him. Her small hands undid the buttons on his pants and then let him undo hers. He pulled off the sweatshirt and they completely disrobed and stepped into the shower. The hot jets of water were a welcome relief for both of them as each cleaned the other with soapy hands. Cedric stood behind Jessica and she could feel the swell of his manhood and sac as she leaned into him, moving against him as his hands kneaded her breasts and then moved down to her belly and between her legs.

Both moaned as she ground her buttocks into his thickness and he moved a soapy hand over her wetness repeatedly. They quickly washed off the soap and made their way to his bed, not caring to dry off. Cedric mounted her, but again couldn't bring himself to penetrate her even now that both were completely naked. He'd never been with anyone like this and was afraid of looking stupid. Jessica seemed to understand instinctively that he wanted her, but was afraid. She never would have believed that the popular young man was a virgin. Gently she guided him to her entrance and pulled him downwards.

Cedric's breathing was hard and ragged as realised what he was doing.

'Oh Merlin,' he rasped as he pushed into her.

'I won't break,' Jessica whispered in his ear. 'I want you Cedric, and it's OK… I need you – I need this…'

The young man thrust hard and cried out from the shock of the pleasurable heated wetness that sheathed him. Jessica clenched herself tightly, pulling him deep and deeper. They began to find a rhythm and the springs of his bed protested mightily as Cedric began to thrust harder and harder. The Librarian called out his name and begged him not to stop. He repeated over and over how much he loved her through cries of his own.

The lack of sleep caught up to them both and finally they separated, with Jessica falling asleep with Cedric spooned against her.

**xxxOOOxxx**

It was just past lunchtime when Cedric woke up with Jessica in his arms. Now that they were together, he didn't want to let it go even though he accepted that things would change come the start of term. She wasn't one of his teachers, but she was a member of staff.

'I don't care what anyone says; I love her and it can't be wrong,' he thought to himself as he looked down Jessica cradled in his arms. 'We'll be together; we will be…'

**xxxOOOxxx**

It was late afternoon when Cedric and Jessica finally got out of bed. They'd made love again after she woke up and he was more confident this time. There were advantages to being intimate with Wizards that she would never have guessed from the books; their stamina and ability to last was nothing less than breathtaking. And a Wizard of Cedric's age… well, it was nothing less than phenomenal. Her old friends would have been beyond green with envy at the notion of her with a rather delicious toy-boy like him. He was anything but – he had a wisdom that belied his age and had many qualities that men twice his age had no hope of possessing. He was a man, just a bit younger than she was used to. But as soon as she thought of that, the devil on her shoulder worked overtime to convince her how wrong their liaison was.

'It isn't just sex between us,' Cedric said heatedly as they enjoyed a hot curry of Chicken Balti that he had prepared for them with her help.

She was dressed in clothes of his that were a bit baggy on her since he was much taller and definitely broader in his build. But he liked her wearing them and in his eyes she looked great. They were seated in the Diggory family's conservatory that overlooked their expansive back garden and the undulating lush green hills beyond it. Jessica was trying to convince him that what they'd done was wrong and the fact that she was still with him was doubly wrong, but Cedric wasn't having it. They'd been arguing for almost twenty minutes and he wasn't about to back down.

'I know that,' Jessica answered through a hiccup as she pushed her food around on her plate. 'But… I just… I want you understand…. Cedric I'm so scared!''

The reality of everything between them and how they'd come together was hitting her like a tonne of bricks and she burst into tears. Cedric flew around the table and pulled her into his arms as she sat on one of the two large sofas in the room. The memory of the night before and what the mob had put her through was too much to bear. Cedric's affections had been a distraction – a very welcome distraction; but a distraction nonetheless. Her mind was beginning to process what happened – and how exposed she had been. And Cedric had seen her like that.

And in the aftermath of a great trauma, she'd used what he felt for her to gain comfort. Sex was a great healer and even in the aftermath of some of her world's greatest tragedies there were population explosions as men and women turned to each other for solace. She and Cedric had been no different to a lot of people. She was certain that witches and wizards were coming together to channel their fear, their grief and in celebration of being alive. It was an unconscious thing – but it was decidedly human. She would bet a month's wages that Molly and Arthur Weasley had done anything but sleep once she and Cedric drove off and everyone else went to bed.

'I'm sorry I'm being so s…s…stupid!' she cried.

'You aren't being stupid,' Cedric admonished her. 'You've been though hell and I guess that's why I can't bear to let you go. I want to look after you, even though you probably think that's ridiculous!'

'I took advantage of you, Cedric!' Jessica said angrily as she brushed her tears away. 'What I've done is wrong and I knew better!' This – this is wrong!'

'It's only taking advantage if you use someone deliberately. You aren't a user and we both know that. You're just trying to justify what happened. Stop trying to rationalise it, Jessica. We both know that we really like each other!'

'I just… I don't want to leave you right now either, Cedric… even though I know I shouldn't want that; I don't want to leave you' Jessica murmured into his chest as he ran a hand through her hair. 'But I can't stay here…'

'Then I'll come to you,' the Hufflepuff said fervently. 'We've got another two weeks and there's no reason why we…'

'No,' Jessica said sadly as she stopped him by putting two fingers to his lips. 'We can't! We've done too much as it is!'

Cedric kissed them, and then kissed her. 'Just stay the night,' he said hoarsely. 'My father will be back late tomorrow but you can still stay just one more night…'

Jessica's only answer was to put her arms around him and give into another heated kiss.

**xxxOOOxxx**

It was mid-morning the next day when Jessica finally left Cedric. She had cried buckets of tears as she drove off, and so did he once he was back in the big empty house without her. He'd never been one to cry like that over anyone; but Jessica – well she was something special. It felt like his soul was shattering into a thousand pieces as he watched her drive off. They'd agreed that things had to be cool between them once school started. While he was still a student their relationship with each other had to be beyond reproach.

His father returned home, bursting with stories about what happened and what he'd been dealing with for the Ministry. Amos Diggory took no notice of his son's quietness, so used was he to his offspring's strong and silent disposition even when it wasn't called for. But Cedric sat numbly and let his father prattle on, his mind miles away wondering how Jessica was feeling wherever she was now in her drive back to Hogwarts.

At one in the morning, Cedric finally headed up to his room. He couldn't face going to bed all alone, but his father would think it odd for him to stay downstairs all night. He had just come out of the shower, trying to forget his showers with Jessica, when a large brown owl pecked at his window. Cedric took the note from its leg and gave it a few knuts before sending it off.

A familiar scent wafted up from the fine parchment as soon as he opened it and began to read.

_Dear Cedric,_

_As you may have guessed, I've made it safe and sound. As I write this I am tucked up by the fire in my rooms in the Pashmina and slippers you picked out for me. They don't remind me of anything but the time I spent with you. _

_It feels so strange without you now. I couldn't bear trying to have some semblance of a holiday without you and so came straight here. Sorry I'm putting you through this; but I wanted you to know that. I know it won't be easy, but I am looking forward to seeing you again. We will take things as they come, that I can promise you._

_I am still yours with love and the deepest affection,_

_J_

Cedric could scarcely breathe as he read the note over and over again. Jessica was safe and at Hogwarts…and against all hopes she really did love him. There was so much to look forward to now that he was going into his last year at school. He couldn't wait for his last months as a student to end and it was all because of her.

The Hufflepuff drifted off to sleep with the scent of his beloved still in his bed as he clutched his precious note to him, dreaming of the future which he was convinced would be very bright indeed.


	27. Sorted

**Plot, new characters, new magical terms and abilities etc. are my intellectual property. If you want to borrow then please kindly ask. JK Rowling's characters and Wizarding Universe are all uniquely hers.**

**Summary: AU: What if everything we ever read in JK Rowling's books was real – including the people characterised? What would you do if you found yourself caught up in that reality knowing what was to come? SS, RL, OC **

**_Authors Note:_ _It has been mentioned in the story but now I am noting it here. I am a fan of Diana Gabaldon's 'Outlander'/'Cross Stitch' series and definitely was influenced by that in writing this story – i.e. the Standing Stones and traveling through time. But I also love Philip Pullman's 'His Dark Materials' series and the tv programme 'Sliders' and the alternate universes alongside ours idea comes from there no doubt._**

**_Chapter Note: Cedric is 19 folks – per this chapter. He and Jessica are together. Don't like it? Can't accept it? Don't read it. It's as simple as that. This is AU and for the last time I am not following canon rules which should be obvious given the storyline._**

**Fantasy/Drama**

**This story is rated R/M.**

**ENIGMA**

**Chapter 027: **

It was two days before Jessica emerged from her rooms having been summoned by Dumbledore. Lord knew she needed to talk to someone, but not him. She was decidedly rattled by everything that had happened that summer, everything that is except Cedric.

She'd been curious about Lupin more than anything else; and it didn't hurt that the werewolf had fancied her. For all his protestations about his 'furry little problem', Remus Lupin was still a man who wanted to get laid. And he had wanted her; but she'd have a lot more respect for him if he would have just come down from his lofty perch and admit it. Whatever; it didn't matter. He was determined to play the martyr and it wasn't going to be her problem. She knew that he and the Headmaster were very close friends and hoped that this wasn't going to be some pep talk about 'poor Remus'. Aside from the Quidditch World Cup and Harry Potter, the only other subject of that summer could be the werewolf.

She took the moving staircase up to Dumbledore's office, and to her surprise Severus and Professor McGonagall were there. So, it was to be the Quidditch World Cup…

'How are you, my dear?' Dumbledore intoned in a gravelly rasp as she strode in and took a seat.

'I'm OK, just tired…'

'After everything you have been through…' McGonagall began.

'Things happen and life goes on...' Jessica remarked, cutting her short. 'So – what's this all about?'

'You were quite ill when you left for the break and I am aware from Severus what happened at the Quidditch World Cup,' Dumbledore said sombrely. 'I think it would be prudent if you did not return to work at the beginning of the term. I also believe that you should talk to someone about the events of the past few days.'

'What I need is quiet time before I have to get back to work. I saw Madam Pomfrey this morning and she's given me a clean bill of health.'

Surreptitious looks flew between the three professors. Something wasn't quite right here. In their minds it was Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome and sooner or later it was going to catch up to her.

'Ahh – so you think I'm suffering from stress?' Jessica sighed. 'I've been through much worse than what happened at the Cup. Besides, I would have thought that you'd be a lot more concerned with who was so pleased to meet me after everything he's heard…or been told, rather.'

Dumbledore and McGonagall looked mystified but deeply concerned, but Severus… there was something rippling beneath his usual detached air of frigidness. Her was trying to 'read' her and couldn't. For the first time since they'd met he'd lost the advantage. Her Occlumency and Legilimency lessons with Dumbledore were paying off.

'Lucius Malfoy,' Jessica continued curtly. 'He seems to be more than a little interested in me and he's suffering under the delusion that I'm a Pureblood, of all things…'

'The presumption is natural given the story that you are a relation of Minerva's,' Dumbledore said reasonably. 'Unfortunately, the subject of bloodlines is the one thing that we did not give a great deal of thought to. It has its plusses and minuses, as does anything to do with our world. But it is an important detail which I did not give as much thought to as I ought.'

'There isn't a part of this school that man doesn't try to interfere with,' McGonagall suggested irritably. 'And no doubt young Master Malfoy has carried tales to his father about you as much as he does the rest of us!'

'You aren't trying to blame _Draco_ for his father's actions?' Snape demanded incredulously.

A vein pulsed dangerously at Snape's temples. There was nothing he could say to refute the assertions laid before him. It was true, all too true. The fact of the matter was that both Malfoy Senior and Junior were mighty thorns in the sides of many. And the illustrious Narcissa Black-Malfoy was no better. The Malfoy and Black families had a lot to answer for in his estimation. For a start, the Dark Lord could not have risen as he did without their support both financial and magical. Still, it angered him that much of the troubles in their world could be laid squarely at the door of his House. The other houses had produced just as many Dark Wizards as Slytherin ever had, but no one cared about _that_.

'Oh come on Snape! You know as well as I do that a week doesn't go by without Draco sending an owl home to his parents about some imagined injustice or unfounded complaint! And then Lucius swans in here like he owns the place – which he does since most of the governors are afraid of him! So let's cut the posturing, eh! Draco has been carrying on about Jessica giving preferential treatment when nothing of the sort has occurred! As a matter of fact your house has the largest number of registrants for the Library Club this coming term!'

'The Malfoys are a problem for all of us, we know that. And Draco is right old pain in the sphincter as much as his father is! But now that Lucius Malfoy has confirmed I'm alive… I can't help but wonder what this is going to mean for me!' Jessica snapped angrily.

'Now Jessica, it will do you no good to get yourself all wound up about this…' Dumbledore started.

Jessica interrupted him, telling them every single word that Lucius had said to her. It still chilled her to the bone to think about the way he smiled at her and she said so.

'And of all people – I'm supposed to believe that I was randomly picked to be hung upside down and played with like a dog's chew toy?' Jessica spat, her voice rising steadily. Soon she was engaged in a full-on rant; the stress and pressure erupting like a dormant volcano come to life.

It wasn't until McGonagall put her arms around her that Jessica stopped and began to cry.

'I think it's best that we end it here, gentlemen,' she said as she prompted the Librarian to rise. 'Leave her to me – and deal with this mess that you've made!'

McGonagall swept from the room with Jessica in tow.

'So… what do we do now, Headmaster?' Snape demanded sullenly. 'You were so sure… and you were wrong – dead wrong!'

'I don't know, Severus. _I honestly don't know!_'

**xxxOOOxxx**

In the end McGonagall decided that it would be better for Jessica to get away from Hogwarts. She took the Librarian to her home on Loch Linnhe, deep in the heart of the ancestral lands of her family. The Clan MacKenzie had been settled in the Highlands for hundreds of years. As Jessica was thought to be one of them in this world, she might as well become acquainted with the place.

For the first few days, all Jessica did was sleep. The Healer that Minerva consulted said that it was not unusual, given the trauma she had suffered and the illness that she hadn't quite recovered from. Jessica woke long enough to eat and to use the bathroom. But her body and mind demanded that she rest and for once she obeyed.

Toward the end of her first week she was well enough to finally venture downstairs. She followed the sounds of voices which led her to a spacious kitchen where lunch was being set out.

'It's good to see you up and about,' Minerva said brightly. 'There's plenty to occupy your mind if you don't care to venture outside, though I must say its quite nice out at the moment…'

'I think I'll take it easy for the moment – I wouldn't mind reading up on the history of the place if that's ok?'

'Excellent idea! Having said that, I want to introduce you to someone: Liam, my husband. He's Laird of these lands and Chieftan of the Clan McKenzie.'

'It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. McKenzie. Thank you for having me – it's very kind of you.'

'It's not a problem at all. I'm happy that we could help ye. Just make yourself at home and ring for one of the wee ones if you'll be needing anything.'

It had been necessary to talk to Liam about Jessica's situation and Dumbledore had come by two days ago. He'd needed to see Liam because of the Laird's vastly superior knowledge of the Stones and because he'd been a member of the original Order of the Phoenix in the first war.

Jessica frowned; it seemed that the small number of people who knew about her situation was gaining in numbers with the passing of each week.

'Don't worry, Jessica. Let me tell you something, a great many in the Order owe their lives to my husband! When the time comes don't let any of them fill your head with nonsense. He was the one who saw Pettigrew for what he was from the very beginning; well, he and Snape…'

'But no one wanted to believe Snape,' Liam said with a faint hint of bitterness. 'And they didn't want to believe me either. It cost lives in the end; too many lives…'

'I understand the problems people seem to have with Severus, even if I don't agree with them, but why didn't they want to believe you?' Jessica asked before pouring herself a glass of orange juice and drinking it down and pouring another before helping herself to several sandwiches and some crisps.

She was definitely feeling better if her appetite had come back.

There was silence, finally broken by Liam.

'Suffice it to say that some disapproved of our relationship, not that it was any of their business. Too many personal issues and hidden agendas got in the way of what we were doing and unfortunately Dumbledore doesn't always think as he ought about some of his recruits and especially those he considers such dear friends.'

'Anyone in particular?'

'Not anyone that ye should be concerned about just yet. Some are no longer with his having gone to the great beyond no thanks to their own stupidity. As for the others; well, I'm sure they have more important things to be concerned with these days…'

'I'm sorry; I just don't understand what anyone could have against you and why your relationship should matter so much.'

'Minerva will give you the gory details sometime. As for today – let's just enjoy ourselves shall we?'

'Sounds good to me,' Jessica said with a nod before attacking her sandwich.

Liam had a house-elf bring out records of the Clan McKenzie of which the McGonagalls were an important part. It turned out that he was Minerva's second cousin once removed – and considerably younger than she. She'd noticed it the moment they were introduced, but seeing the genealogy map – well that made it quite clear. Jessica stayed silent as he explained the bloodlines – and how his family records had been altered to include her.

'Ye've got a great deal of protection now, lass. I finished this just the other night and I'll venture to say that things will calm down around ye a great deal. Only fool with a death wish would tangle with a McKenzie, ye can believe that!'

'Och! Merlin knows that's the truth!' Minerva snorted.

'Even Lucius Malfoy?'

'Especially a gutter rat like him,' Liam replied heatedly. 'All that palaver about his family being ancient! Why, it's nothing but a load of dung! He's "new money" and much worse about so-called bloodlines and traditions than any of the true old families ever were, and everyone knows it!'

'Unbelievable! You'd never know it the way he carries on! He put me through all this rubbish about how he'd taken great pains to find out all about me and how it was good for me that I measured up and appreciated his status!'

'That's what he does; he rules by fear and intimidation. But too many of us know better – don't let him make ye afraid Jessica.'

'He only knows what he's found out from his son…. Although…' Minerva began before cutting herself short.

'Although what?' Jessica asked suspiciously.

Minerva looked at Liam and even Jessica could see that he was mystified as to what she was probably holding back on.

'I don't know really; I'm just wondering if perhaps Dumbledore has made a mistake with you; if he's taken steps he ought not to have perhaps because he believed he was protecting you.'

'Considering he manipulated me into taking Harry to the Weasleys and I ended up going to the World Cup – anything is possible,' Jessica sighed angrily. 'He tells me to watch my step, don't do this, don't do that and yet he can't stop meddling himself!'

'He always believes he's acting for the best. Still it's no excuse,' Liam said pointedly.

'It's just creating more problems than it's solving at the minute,' Jessica said as she thought about Cedric.

'We know Jessica and we agree with you,' said Minerva. 'That's why Liam went to the Headmaster with me and then I brought you back here. I don't think he's given you a proper chance to just _be_ since you got here.'

'He's done with his meddling, that ye can be sure…' said Liam heartily.

'For now… just give him time,' Jessica replied wearily.

**xxxOOOxxx**

Jessica spent the next few days reading up on her rather illustrious family and exploring the McKenzie lands with Minerva. There was something calming about it all and she was beginning to feel a part of it, though it might have struck some as odd given her Native American roots.

There was a small gathering of the family for a day of Highland games, arts, music and food that took place over several days. Liam called together his closest kin and together they formally welcomed their 'distant cousin' into the family.

'This brings with it a great deal of magical protection and potency,' Liam explained as he and Minerva each took one of Jessica's hands and jumped a great fire that had been prepared specifically for this ritual. They dropped to the other side with a heavy thud, but still standing relatively upright.

'She's a McKenzie alright!' a flame haired man named Jamie called out as the small crowd let up a mighty roar.

Minerva placed a delicate necklace around her neck. It was silver, copper and bronze and of a celtic design. There was a matching cuff for her left wrist and the intricacy of them took Jessica's breath away.

'You are no stranger in a strange land. From this moment forward I look upon you as my sister,' Liam said in strong voice so that even those in the back could hear. 'You are entrusted with all that is sacred and holy to this family and the lands we have called home for centuries. We bid you welcome and amongst us may you be known as Mairead McKenzie!'

There was a steady stream of whoops in Gaelic and then everyone came forward to welcome the newest member of the family. Minerva entreated everyone to eat, drink and have as much fun as they dared but not more than they could handle, prompting a booming chorus of laughter. Jessica hung back and watched as the celebrations of this final night kicked off in earnest.

'Is it my imagination or did something really significant just happened here?' she asked Liam above the din.

'Aye! That it did, Lassie – that it did!' The Chieftain replied with a wink and a grin.

He leaned in and whispered into Jessica's ear, causing her eyes to go wide as saucers.

'We McKenzies look after our own – and if Dumbledore doesn't know anything else, he should surely know that by now!' Liam said firmly.

'Perhaps that's why he decided that Minerva's family should be my own…' Jessica thought to herself. But damn it if she wasn't sick and tired of being used like some pawn in a wizard's chess match.

She began to wonder just what was it that Dumbledore was hiding from her, and what had he hoped to gain my manipulating events the way he had? He was making the same mistakes with her that he was making with Harry – and nothing good was going to come of it.

xxxOOOxxx

In the bat of an eye time had flown by and Jessica found herself back at Hogwarts preparing for the new term. The students were already on their way up having left King's Cross that morning. She had monstrous butterflies in her stomach thinking about Cedric as she as she prepared the start of term feast in her quarters. She soaked in a hot bath let her mind wander. How she had loved the feel of his body covering hers, the soft down on his chest and belly; the thicket trailing to his curls. He was big in every way, shape and form – such a contrast to…

No, she would not dare to think of him, especially not now.

Cedric was so broad and strong; something about his stature made her feel protected and forget things she would otherwise do well to remember. He'd been blessed in many ways and his physicality was undeniably attractive. There wasn't a girl at Hogwarts who wouldn't give up something to have him pay attention to her, even Hermione (although she liked to pretend she was above it all). He was extremely sensible and more like a mature 39 year-old than 19. In many ways he was ahead of his contemporaries…

But whatever this was – it couldn't last! He was supposed to be with Cho Chang – she was the one he fancied!

Jessica emerged from the bathroom that she wouldn't call hers in a few hours. There was to be a special sorting for her once the incoming First Years were done. The only thing that Minerva and Liam seemed sure about was that she couldn't possibly end up in Slytherin or Hufflepuff. But Jessica found the idea of sharing space with Cho Chang in Ravenclaw was enough to make her want to heave.

'God almighty – I'm jealous… I'm actually jealous of her… the stupid cow…'

The books didn't exactly paint the nicest picture of Cho in some ways; she was particularly brutal with Harry in his Fifth Year. But that was a long way away – and it was because of Cedric's death. Jessica tried not to think of that as she dressed. She had cried herself to sleep at Minerva's thinking about him and what was to come. And now she found that she just wanted him to be happy, whatever form it took. If that meant him shagging Cho Chang, then so be it.

Now if only she could really believe that she'd be ok with being dumped by him.

**xxxOOOxxx**

Jessica walked calmly into the Great Hall, ignoring the buzz around her. A number of students jumped up and ran to the centre isle to say hello. If anyone had heard about what happened to her it wasn't being talked about, at least not openly.

'Joanne! Stop by tomorrow and show me your photographs – I love Venice! Amy – great tan, It's a wonder you managed it with all that partying in Ibiza! Pasha and Ministry of Sound are wicked!' On and on it went. She wasn't the only staff member mingling with students. But she felt more than one pair of eyes on her and realised that not only was Cedric standing on the edge of the little crowd, Severus' black eyes were fixed on her from his usual place at High Table. The crowd dwindled down and she said hello to the twins, Ron and Hermione. Harry said nothing as he ignored Colin Creevey chattering away, trying to take pictures of him. Jessica presumed he was still smarting from being put in his place at the campsite. But she'd said what needed to be said. Harry had said some things that shouldn't have been spoken about and his attitude nearly made him spill some things that she had trusted him to keep private. It killed her to think that he was so weak, that she'd made a mistake in not letting Severus Obliviate him. And she knew that the Potions Master was still thinking about it, he was so angry about what happened. They hadn't spoken at all, but she knew Severus well enough to know that.

Finally it was just her, Cedric and a couple of Ravenclaws that he happened to know. They exchanged pleasantries and she encouraged small talk about their holidays in the Lake District.

'I have that on my agenda for next summer,' Jessica joined in.

'You'd love it,' Cedric commented casually. 'The countryside is breathtaking. Lots of mountains with great walks… and very quiet in most places.'

'Me and me brother wore ourselves out,' said Terry Boot. 'He signed us up for a nature walk and it was a 10-mile hike! I swear he was trying to kill me!'

'Well – stop nicking the choccy from my desk and you might actually make it a couple of miles without wanting to pass out,' Jessica teased.

'Say what?' Anthony Del'Abbate exclaimed in mock horror. 'You'd deprive a growing boy of his strength?'

'Yes, I would… I'm evil like that…' Jessica replied as she looked down at her watch. She didn't have to see Cedric to know that he was smiling. 'Better take our places, the procession will start in a couple of minutes….'

The Ravenclaws said their goodbyes and said they would come see her. Feeling too self-conscious, Cedric made his way back to the Hufflepuff table, ignoring the heady looks that some of the girls were giving him. He was strapping, good-looking, Quidditch Captain and a Prefect. He was quite a catch indeed.

Jessica was stopped by several of the ghosts included Nearly-Headless Nick all of whom had a right moan about Peeves the Poltergeist and what he'd been up to in the Library with their requests. The Librarian assured them that Peeves had been well and truly sorted out, the Native American way and that their orders where ready for them..

'You don't say!' boomed the Bloody Baron with glee, the blood stains on his tunic shining brightly as only they could. 'Old Pince runs a mile if she even thinks he's about!'

'Yes indeed I do. That trouble-maker didn't know what hit him. He'll think twice before doing it again, believe you me.'

'Serves him right! I say – it's about time someone put him in his place!' The Grey Lady said loftily before she fluttered back to the Ravenclaws.

Jessica moved to the table. The staff members that were friendly with her said hello, the rest said nothing as though she wasn't there, same as always. Dumbledore cleared his throat and tapped his water goblet. The room fell silent as the huge double doors opened and the First Years filed in with the Deputy Head Mistress Leading them.

The Librarian barely took it in as they were all sorted by the ancient Sorting Hat. At long last, it was over. But McGonagall wasn't finished.

'Jessica Newkirk!' she called out.

Jessica stood shakily and took a deep breath. She walked down to the old stool and sat demurely as McGonagall place the battered hat on her head amidst the whispers flying fast and furious around the room.

'_I can't believe she didn't tell us!' she heard George howl._

'_Looks like she's not going anywhere,' someone who sounded remarkably like Marietta Edgecombe said snidely._

The hat started to speak but pursed its lips. There wasn't going to be a song for her, it might say too much! The Librarian didn't know how she knew this, but she was definitely sure of it.

'_Hmmm now you, my dear, are very interesting indeed!' the Hat muttered to her. 'Strong and Wise; Fearless in the face of tragedies that could break even the most determined of wizards. You carry on because you must, but always with the courage of your convictions, a fierce intelligence and cool logic. You are fiercely loyal and fair even in the face of opposition. You aren't afraid of hard work to get what you want. You are cunning – oh yes you are! You could have given old Philleus Nigellus a run for his gold! You have a remarkable balances of all our Houses. But where to put you – we can't slice you up you know!'_

'_It can't be Slytherin; Severus would have a massive coronary….'_ Jessica thought to herself.

'_Hmmm – a very tempting proposition indeed!' the hat cackled. 'But the House of the Serpent is no place for you!' ("not yet…" it added in a faint whisper)._

Everyone in the room was on the edge of their seat.

'_With a mind like yours there is only one place for you – RAVENCLAW!!' the Hat roared._

'_OH MOTHER FUCKING GOD!' – was that Fred, or George?_

There was a storm of protest from the Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs while the Ravenclaws roared with glee and banged the table. The Grey Lady tried to and her arm went through it.

'We've got Miss Newkirk! We've got Miss Newkirk!' the Ravens chanted.

The Slytherins sat sullenly at their table, a number of them looking very cross. They could never get any glory, never. Their reaction surprised Jessica, who still couldn't believe how many of them wanted to participate in the Library Club this year. She'd always been under the impression that most of them hated her, with Draco Malfoy leading the pack. Apparently she was quite wrong – although ironically enough she'd always taken an opposite view in her fan fiction, and even managed to get herself sorted as a Slytherin. Much to her surprise, the arrogant white-haired boy was silent; fuming with anger and silent.

But Slytherin was the one House where there was the most pressure from Voldemort's Inner Circle. So the Hat was quite right to point out that the House of the Serpent was no place for her. It had said something else too – something she didn't quite catch.

And rather than be comforted by her Sorting, Jessica was left with more than a few questions that she knew would never be answered.

**xxxOOOxxx**

Jessica was all anyone could talk about during dinner and dessert. She took little notice of it, her mind wandering instead to the announcements to come before the students were sent to their dormitories. She forced herself to eat but waited anxiously. At last, Dumbledore stood and called out the notices. There was the usual warning about the Forbidden Forest, the Hogsmeade weekends and assorted eye-rolling, vomit-inducing rants from Filch which the Headmaster relayed with a comical smirk.

'Last but not least,' Dumbledore said somberly. 'There will be no Inter-House Quidditch Cup this year!'

'No!' Jessica screamed in her mind. 'No! Please!' as the hall erupted in invectives and insults.

But before anyone could utter another word, the hall doors burst open once more.

The scariest looking man anyone had ever seen (except Dumbledore and Snape), hobbled in with one of his eyes rolling wildly. He looked like he had never been introduced to soap or water aside from the storm outside.

'_Mad-Eye Moody' Ron whispered loudly._

'_Barty Crouch Junior,'_ Jessica thought darkly as the man's swiveling eye rested on her. '_Yeah – you know me asshole!'_

Dumbledore welcomed Moody and directed him to a seat next to Severus who was none too pleased.

He raised his hands to stop the flurry of comments and complaints.

'There will be no Inter-House Quidditch Cup this year. INSTEAD; we have the great honor of hosting an event which has not graced our world for several centuries! Over several months, commencing in October at the Halloween Feast, Hogwarts will host the Tri-Wizard Tournament!'

'No bloody way!' Ron roared. 'You're having us on!'

The tension in the room that had been there since the Headmaster began his announcements about the House Quidditch matches broke as everyone roared with laughter.

'Yes indeed Mr. Weasley,' Dumbledore beamed as he peered over his half-moon spectacles. 'And no, I most certainly am not joking – although I must say I heard a marvelous one his summer about a troll, a hag and a vampire who go into a pub…'

Both Minerva and Jessica cleared their throats loudly as some of the students sniggered and others looked at Dumbledore like what pub did he just stumble out of.

'Oh well… not the right time, I supposed,' Dumbledore grinned sheepishly. 'What was I on about – oh yes the Tri-Wizard tournament...'

The Headmaster gave a history of the event, why it stopped being held and how the decision had been taken to hold it again. He went on to explain that delegations from the other leading Wizarding Schools in Europe would be participating and their contenders would arrive for the Selection on Halloween Eve. The selections would be made by an impartial judge and the decision was binding. Submission of one's name constituted a binding magical contract. Once chosen, the chosen Champion was obligated to participate.

A mighty roar went up throughout the hall, but Dumbledore silenced them once again.

'Due to the serious nature of this event and the high level of skill required; only those students aged 17 and above can submit their name for consideration.'

'What! You can't do that!' a number of students roared, Fred and George among them.

'It's not fair – we turn 17 in April!' Fred howled.

'And last but certainly not least,' said Dumbledore, 'I give your Alastor Moody one of the greatest Aurors our Ministry has ever had and our new professor for Defense Against the Dark Arts!'

There was nothing but silence as everyone tried not to stare at the man with a mutilated face, part of his bulbous nose missing and an artificial leg and eye. Moody kept taking swigs from his hip-flask and it only added to his rather seedy and sinister appearance.

'Prefects – you may escort the students back to your Houses,' the Headmaster said with a dismissing wave.

Professor Flitwick made a beeline for Jessica, a warm smile on his face. 'Welcome my dear Jessica! Welcome to Ravenclaw! Your things have already been sent to your new rooms…'

The Librarian walked off with the Head of Ravenclaw House and listened as he pointed about some of the finer attributes of their House. Several pairs of eyes watched them depart; Snape's, Moody's, and McGonagall's among them.

**xxxOOOxxx**

Jessica waited for the staircases to stop moving and quickly made her way to Ravenclaw Tower on the western side of the castle. Professor Flitwick escorted her to her new quarters and said a rather bubbly 'good night' and then bounced down the hall humming as he went. The Librarian forced a smile and was relieved when he finally rounded a corner and she could lock her door behind her.

She walked down a small torch-lit hallway and had a quick tour of her rooms. There was a large sitting room, a study, a huge bedroom with en-suite bath. It was decidedly larger than her old rooms and she couldn't find fault. She looked out a window and found that the she enjoyed a spectacular prospect. But upon closer inspection she realised something. She looked once again, squinting as she did so. Her rooms were level with Severus' – as a matter of fact, the turret that was a part of his House was opposite hers. Every room and window in her quarters had an equal in his.

'I'm not going to make more of this than there is,' she admonished herself.

She looked around, and mercifully the house-elves had taken care of unpacking all her things. Some items she'd never even bothered to place in her old quarters. But the elves seemed to have a finely-honed instinct for what she preferred and the place looked like a proper home.

Her mind began to wander to a certain young man who was probably already asleep.

'He can't do it,' she sniffed. 'He can't!'

**xxxOOOxxx**

Jessica prepared for bed. It had been a long night and all she wanted was sleep. Still conscious that Snape could see her clearly from his own quarters, she closed the shutters and windows followed by the curtains.

She had just put out the lamps in the hallway and her sitting room when there was a faint knock at her door. She frowned. God Almighty – she couldn't deal with Flitwick being sociable tonight.

'Professor I…' she sighed as she opened the door.

But it wasn't Flitwick. Jessica looked up into the smiling face of Cedric.

'Have you lost your mind?' she sputtered.

'I won't be long, I promise…'

Jessica couldn't help but grin as she let him in. The door had no sooner closed than he gathered her into his arms and rained as many kisses down on her as she could stand. She placed her hands on his chest and then moved them up to his face in the darkness. Her mouth sought his and she devoured him hungrily.

'Damn you for being so bloody tall,' she murmured as they pulled apart. But Cedric – how the hell did you get in here?'

'I'm a prefect – and being a Prefect has its privileges. Like being able to go where the average student can't go. My curfew isn't for another two hours yet, and I'm expected to make a sweep of my corner; which tonight happens to be this one…'

'What am I going to do with you?' Jessica asked as she turned on a light.

'I can think of a few things, actually…' came a reply as she led him into her sitting room and turned on another.

Cedric was stuck with how serious she looked.

'I guess you're going to miss Quidditch this year…' she began slowly.

'I'll still get out on the pitch to practice – and I was thinking maybe I could teach you how to play…'

'Me? Are you crazy? I can barely fly!'

That was certainly no lie. Severus had tried to teach her and had given up out of sheer frustration. Her lack of flying prowess had been behind some of their fiercest arguments and she still didn't understand why it had upset him so much.

'It wasn't me teaching you though,' Cedric said firmly as he moved next to her. 'Professor Snape isn't exactly one of the best fliers this place has ever produced.'

'You saw us?'

Cedric looked sheepish and Jessica was nothing less than mortified.

'Take it easy – nobody else has ever seen you and your secret's been safe with me,' he said gently.

'Well thank God for that!'

She was silenced with a kiss – a passionate kiss that could easily get out of control.

'Cedric, stop; we need to talk…'

'You've been looking gloomier than Filch since the Headmaster made the announcements . What's wrong?'

'This tournament…'

'Isn't it brilliant? My father told me about it as soon as he found out. It's all he talked about besides the Quidditch World Cup.'

'And…?'

'And…he wants me to put my name down. Actually, he expects me to put name down; it's not really negotiable.'

'No! You can't! It's too dangerous!' Jessica howled.

'What? Jessica I'll be alright. Honestly I will!' Cedric replied in astonishment.

'No… Cedric please… If you love me as much you claim you do – please don't do it!'

'It's an honour; don't you understand? I know I have it in me to be a fair Wizard – and this year is it for me; there's nothing else after this. My father… it would kill him if I didn't try for it. He's already moaning because I have no interest in a career with the Ministry. I want him to be proud of me for something that has nothing to do with Harry Potter for a change!'

'What about you, Cedric! What about you! It's not his neck that will be on the line, it's yours! People have died and not even made it halfway through! You heard Dumbledore tonight!'

'I'm not taking it lightly, but Professor Sprout said that of anyone in my House I stood the best chance! Look at what happened at the World Cup – how I fought those people off… If I can get us through that then surely I can manage this? I want you to be proud of me too!'

Jessica leaned her forehead against Cedric's and looked in his eyes. 'You have nothing to prove to me or anyone else. I'd never ask you to risk your life so carelessly.'

'I'd be letting down the school if I didn't try – and I can't do that. Hogwarts rarely had a Champion, and this just might be our time to do it!'

'Then let someone else… _please_…'

Cedric gathered Jessica to him in a tight hug.

'I won't take any foolish risks; I give you my word. But I have to do this and I need your blessing, Jessica. Your support is worth everything to me. I need to go into this knowing that you're behind me every step of the way.'

Jessica's face crumpled and she burst into tears.

'OK,' she sniffed. 'If it's what you really want I won't say another word against it…'

'You know – you're beautiful even when you cry,' Cedric said as he brushed her tears away and then ran a hand through her hair.

'God only knows what you see in me…'

'Just the woman I want to be with…' he murmured before kissing her.

He pulled her into his arms and they lay together on her sofa.

'Do you have any idea how many girls here would give their eye teeth to be with you?'

'I'm not interested in them,' came a tight reply. 'And you never struck me as the sort of woman who could be insecure, and especially when there's no reason for it.'

'_I know too much, and it's ruining everything,'_ Jessica thought to herself. _'Maybe I just feel sorry for him…?'_

But she didn't feel sorry for him, quite the contrary.

'I'm not insecure… I just don't want you to have regrets. Many of the others in your year are already engaged. They're planning families and you can guarantee a year from now they'll be well on their way. There are things you aren't thinking about…'

'You think I haven't thought about any of those things? I'm not some addle-brained impulsive child!'

'I never said you were,' Jessica snapped as she sat up.

'Why are doing this? All you seem to want is to drive me away from you! Have you changed your mind; is that it? If you don't want to be with me just tell me!'

It was Cedric's turn to be emotional. And it was so unlike him that Jessica realised what she was doing to him yet again. It wasn't fair and it wasn't healthy. They couldn't keep on like this and it was clear he wasn't about to give up on her, not yet anyway. She knew that she had him and there was no need for this. It wasn't going to change anything.

'I'm sorry; I'm so, so sorry…' she murmured.

'Please…' the Hufflepuff sniffed. 'Are you… are you breaking up with me….?'

'No – I guess I love you too much to let you go!'

'Say it, Jessica. I need to hear you say it!'

Jessica looked up into Cedric's pensive gray eyes. He loved her so much…

'I love you, Cedric. I just realised how much tonight, actually. It would kill me to see you with anyone else; I couldn't bear it! And that's why I don't want you in that bloody tournament – you could die and I couldn't face it, I couldn't!'

The young man held her in his arms.

'I feel the same way about you. I saw you with Professor Snape and then at the Cup when… well, that's when I knew absolutely what I felt for you.'

Jessica didn't say anything and simply looked at him.

'There isn't anyone else, is there,' Cedric asked slowly. 'You and the professor… I wouldn't have believed in a million years…'

'No – there isn't anyone else. I'm not like that! And I don't have anything with him!'

'I know – I just…'

'I know…let's just drop it!'

'Are we ok?' Cedric whispered as he stroked Jessica's arm.

'Aside from the fact what would happen if anyone had any idea that you were here and that we're sleeping together… Yes, we are…'

'I still have another hour or so…'

'We can't – you know we can't…' Jessica whispered as he began to kiss her and caress her beneath her nightgown. She moaned uncontrollably as his large hands stroked her breasts and he suckled a nipple. She reached down and unleashed the thickness in his pants. In a matter of minutes they were making love, completely lost in each other. Cedric cried out as his orgasm wracked his body in spasm after spasm after a time and they began yet again.

**xxxOOOxxx**

The Hufflepuff Prefect had just under a half hour left to make it to his dormitory. He and Jessica couldn't be with each other very often, it was just too risky. But he'd finally gotten the commitment he wanted from her and that was all that mattered. She'd been his inspiration more than anyone else as he'd thought about the tournament the past few days.

If he became Hogwarts Champion and actually won they could get a nice place somewhere together when he left school. The prize money would more than cover it. She could even afford to leave her job if she wanted to; he knew that it wasn't what she had really planned on doing with her life and that she'd prefer to do something more creative. Why shouldn't she? There was more to life than Hogwarts and the Ministry.

He would make Jessica proud of him.

He was definitely going to put his name forward for Hogwarts Champion in the TriWizard Tournament.


	28. Trouble With A Capital “T”

**Plot, new characters, new magical terms and abilities etc. are my intellectual property. If you want to borrow then please kindly ask. JK Rowling's characters and Wizarding Universe are all uniquely hers.**

**Summary: AU: What if everything we ever read in JK Rowling's books was real – including the people characterised? What would you do if you found yourself caught up in that reality knowing what was to come? SS, RL, OC **

**_Authors Note:_ _It has been mentioned in the story but now I am noting it here. I am a fan of Diana Gabaldon's 'Outlander'/'Cross Stitch' series and definitely was influenced by that in writing this story – i.e. the Standing Stones and traveling through time. But I also love Philip Pullman's 'His Dark Materials' series and the tv programme 'Sliders' and the alternate universes alongside ours idea comes from there no doubt._**

**Fantasy/Drama**

**This story is rated R/M.**

**ENIGMA**

**Chapter 028: Trouble With A Capital "T"**

Jessica threw herself into her work, wanting to forget the traumas of the Quidditch World Cup and the torment of her relationship with Cedric. At one time she'd been exceedingly worried about Severus, now she did exactly as he'd said she should do – she buried her memories of their time together and got on with living her life. But it was nearing Halloween, and she and Cedric hadn't had any real time alone together since that first night back at school. She found that her effort to do the right thing was only making her miserable. She'd waited her whole life for someone like him and doing the right thing felt incredibly wrong. They talked, they talked a lot; but there only snatched moments and she found that she missed him profoundly.

When she least expected it, the Potions Master was always somewhere in the vicinity, his black eyes washing over her. She was still no closer to knowing why he'd turned up at the Cup than she'd been at the time. There were so many secrets where he was concerned, and in that respect nothing had really changed. She'd been so open with him and for whatever reason it wasn't returned. How could she have loved him so much when she really didn't know that much about him – nothing except for what she'd mostly pieced together from fiction? And they'd had a child…

Jessica supposed that one of the biggest attractors with Cedric was the fact that his life was an open book for her. She knew exactly where she stood with him and he always told her the absolute truth. She could never say that about Severus; he always felt perfectly justified in lying to her even if it was by omission. However, Cedric was younger and his life hadn't been filled with the sorts of challenges that she imagined Severus had had growing up. But that was the biggest problem with this real-life flesh-and-blood Potions Master – he wouldn't own up to anything. For all Jessica knew, the picture that had been painted in fiction was a fabrication that catered to the caricature of villainy that was Harry Potter's greatest nemesis besides Lord Voldemort. But how could she ever know, given how he'd treated her?

**xxxOOOxxx**

Jessica found herself looking out of one of the windows in the Library on a cold, rainy day several weeks into the term. Everyone seemed to have settled into their routines, including her. But there were days like today when she sorely needed a break from the mundane reality of students, books and essays.

The Librarian was pouring over the latest intake when a shadow crossed her desk at the front of the Library. Her eyes fell upon a walking stick with a curling gold snake. She didn't have to look up to know whose most unwelcome presence was breaking the monotony of her job.

'Miss Newkirk,' Lucius purred.

'Mr. Malfoy…'

_Of all the times to be alone._

'I've been meaning to have a word with you since our delightful chit-chat this past summer.'

'Ahh – Draco has spoken with you after all…'

'I think it would be best for you and I to converse somewhere a bit more…_private_…'

The last thing Jessica wanted was to be alone with him. The Library was bad enough, but her office – that was much worse.

'There's no one but me here at the moment, Mr. Malfoy. You have me at an advantage today. So – what's on your mind? Or more to the point – what have I done this time that has so offended your son?'

'You are quite gloomy today…'

'I am nothing of the sort; I simply speak as I find. Your son rarely condescends to acknowledge my presence since your wife's last visit to complain about me, so I am completely at a loss as to how I could be so offensive to his delicate sensibilities!'

'I am not your enemy, Jessica. There is no need for hostilities between us.'

'I have every right to be angry – every right! He runs to his mother carrying tales and I supposed he's stepped it up a notch so here you are! He is filled with arrogance and conceit and fancies himself above all others – and yet he doesn't have the gumption to stand his own ground! If he is so hell-bent on forcing me out, then why not take it up through official channels? Is it because he knows any accusation he could lodge wouldn't be worth the parchment it would written on and because no matter how wrong he is you or your wife always ride in to save the day!'

'Bringing a complaint before the Governors is hardly necessary…'

'You are a School Governor. Mr. Malfoy; any staff member who receives a visit from you is always well-aware of it. I have no doubt that you would do whatever you think necessary to force me from this school. You have the power to do it – it's that simple.'

'I see you quite have the measure of my son – and me,' Lucius replied drily. He then relayed to Jessica the comments Draco accused her of making in the presence of certain Gryffindors at the World Cup.

'Mmm yes, I said something to that effect…' she snapped. 'Give or take about a dozen gross exaggerations!'

'And might I enquire as to what you meant by your comments?'

'Your son has habits that bring him nothing but trouble from the people he doesn't want to have interfere in his business…' she answered without hesitation. 'He hates Harry Potter and his friends, and yet he can't help but to shoot his mouth off to them the same as he does to his housemates!'

Lucius looked at Jessica and frowned, a gloved hand stroking the head of the serpent.

'Oh I appreciate the fact that he likes having advantages and perhaps knowing things that others don't,' she continued cautiously. 'My point was that he shouldn't 'tip his hat' about them – and certainly not to anyone who clearly has conflicting interests. There's no need to talk so much; it simply undermines his position – and it can make him look foolish or lead people to think things that perhaps they should be ignorant of. He turns molehills into mountains and then it's someone else that has to bring them down to size again – you. You won't always be there to pick up the pieces for him or to fight his battles.'

'I have made the same observation myself on more occasions than I can count,' Malfoy Senior sighed after a tense moment. 'He is at that age where he can be quite…difficult… I'm afraid his mother rather spoils him.'

'The curse of the only child – to be either over-indulged or ignored. Perhaps both – split between both parents.'

Lucius looked at her curiously.

_So you don't know me that well after all, do you?'_ Jessica thought to herself.

'I have no brothers or sisters,' she said evenly.

'And you were…?'

'Nothing like your son,' Jessica answered as she slammed several books down quite hard.

'I see,' Lucius replied softly.

'Miss Newkirk I…' came a familiar voice.

Snape strode through the doors towards her desk and stopped cold at the sight of Lucius seated across from Jessica behind it, clearly enjoying himself given the relaxed air about him.

'Pardon my intrusion,' the Potions Master said carefully.

'Impeccable timing as always, Snape,' Lucius sniffed with a quirk of his silvery brows. 'Nevermind, my business here is done.'

He turned to Jessica, the warmth draining from his grey eyes as the Potions Master left.

'Thank you very much, Jessica. Until next time…'

'Next time?'

'Indeed. I can see that though it was a great loss to the honorable house of Salazar Slytherin, the Hat made no mistake with you. But I would say this: speaking as one finds is not always appropriate in every society. I quite enjoy your directness...but it could lead you to be misunderstood – and we wouldn't want that, now would we?'

'She'll be no more misunderstood than anyone else that doesn't curry your favour!' Professor McGonagall snapped as she emerged from the Library's periodicals section, conveniently located near the front desks.

'Ahhh – Deputy Headmistress. So we weren't entirely alone…'

'As a professor and Deputy Headmistress I have every right to be here! You, on the other hand, do not!. If you have _legitimate_ concerns relating to your son's treatment at the hands of any staff member then there are procedures to follow, _the first of which is to file a formal complaint with **me**._ Otherwise you are not only trespassing, but engaged in harassment – and as a governor of this school you are well aware of that!'

Lucius' gray eyes glazed over and his mouth set in a thin line. He glared at Professor McGonagall, his hand gripping his walking stick with such ferocity it was no small miracle it didn't snap in two.

'Just so that we understand each other,' Jessica said evenly as she glared back, 'If you have any personal disputes with me you can always take it up with _Comhairle nan Eilean Siar; I am a McKenzie you know…'_

'You are only a distant relation…' Lucius drawled.

'Tsk, tsk, tsk… Has none of your informants told you? I am sister to Liam McKenzie and the clan council, _Comhairle nan Eilean Siar_ (as you should know), recognise me as such.

'Impossible!'

'I can assure you that it most definitely is not,' McGonagall said firmly as she stood in the fullness of her height. 'You have become so accustomed to the lies that reach your ears that you can't recognise the bare-cheeked truth when it's put to you.'

'The mark… even I know that you would have had to take a mark!' Malfoy hissed.

'Yes – you would know all about that wouldn't you?' the Deputy Headmistress countered.

Jessica took off the sweater she was wearing. Underneath she wore a silk and lace camisole. She turned around slowly – and on her right shoulder was an intricate Celtic tattoo of sorts that was the sign of the Clan McKenzie. She lifted the bottom of the camisole so that the haughty aristocrat had a good look at the equally detailed but larger tattoo that spread across her lower back, just above the dimples of her buttocks.

She turned back around and looked Malfoy dead in the eyes. For the first time since she'd made his acquaintance she saw fear.

'Anything else, Mr. Malfoy?' she enquired politely.

'No…' he replied after swallowing hard. 'It appears I was mistaken – terribly mistaken.'

'As I have tried to explain to you – yes; yes you were **_grievously_** mistaken.'

'We won't have anymore such misunderstandings – will we?' McGonagall proposed firmly.

The aristocratic wizard said nothing as he strode out of the Library, trying to collect himself.

'If he knows what's good for him he'll leave you alone,' the Deputy Headmistress said firmly once he was out of their sight. They heard voices down the hall and only fleetingly noted that it sounded like Snape he'd run into.

'I don't know why in Merlin's name you don't get rid of him,' Jessica sniffed.

'He'll be taking his leave of us shortly. I need to have a word with Dumbledore and the few of the governors that aren't in his pockets. His money does nothing for this institution, brooms for the Slytherin Quidditch Team aside, and I will not have him abuse the privilege any more. It's just a shame we didn't have another witness to what he put you through; someone who wouldn't be afraid to speak up for you.'

Suddenly there was a rustling from across the room and four figures emerged. One was Cho Chang and her resident shadow Marietta Edgecombe – and the other was none other than Cedric. The Hufflepuff Quidditch Captain looked very annoyed while the Ravenclaw Seeker looked keen, quite keen to get his attention with her friend backing her up. Terry Boot emerged from a nook where he'd been curled up in peace, trying to study for the next Potions test.

Jessica was ready to rip Cho's heart out with a spoon and slap the smirk off of Marietta's face.

'We heard everything,' Cedric said firmly. 'I know it wasn't right but…'

'Are you volunteering Mr. Diggory?' McGonagall asked as she peered over her glasses with raised brows.

'Yes, I am.'

'There are few who would be openly willing to go up against the Malfoys. I know your father – he will not be pleased.'

'It's nothing to do with him – and I'm a man capable of making my own decisions for myself.'

'And you Miss Chang?' McGonagall asked warily as she stared at the drooling simpleton.

'Well, um… You see…' Cho sputtered. 'I need to get back to my dormitory!'

She flew out of the Library with Marietta on her heels.

'A waste of space…' McGonagall muttered.

She looked at Cedric and asked once again if he was sure.

'We can get it sorted out right now if you want,' the Hufflepuff replied firmly.

'And what about you, Mr. Boot?'

'I'm with Cedric. I'll back Miss Newkirk all the way! I'm sick of Draco Malfoy lording it over everybody. He acts like his family are some kind of royalty when they're nothing but yobs. There's others that would talk too…like Susan Bones. You should hear her aunt… she can't stand Draco's father!'

'_Really?'_ McGonagall asked.

'Terry's right,' Cedric said. 'The only people that really tolerate Draco Malfoy are all in his House. But they don't really have a choice… and everyone knows he's his Head of House's favourite.'

'If others are willing to come forward…' McGonagall said encouragingly. 'I'll throw the weight of the Clan McKenzie behind them!'

'That's it then. We've been hoping that something like this would happen; the chance to get Lucius Malfoy out of our hair and put Draco in his place,' Terry said, filled with relief. 'I'll come with Cedric and then the others can come by, casual-like to see you and the Headmaster.'

'If I didn't know any better I'd say the Hat made a mistake and you should be in Slytherin,' Jessica said quietly as she smiled.

'The only way to beat a Malfoy and those like them is to play them at their own game…' McGonagall said gravely. 'You two give me twenty minutes and then come to my office. Jessica, let's you and I get together later, Aye? First, I need to see to Miss Chang and Miss Edgecombe – "loose lips sink ships" as the old saying goes.'

The Deputy Headmistress left with Cedric and Terry. They parted ways once in the corridor.

On the one hand, Jessica was relieved that Lucius Malfoy and his precious son were going to get their come-uppance; Terry was right, the Malfoys and those of their mindset were nothing more than yobs.

But she also knew as well as everyone else concerned that repercussions would surely follow. It disturbed her greatly that she was the trigger for whatever was to come. Somewhere along the line the Malfoys would be looking for some payback.

**xxxOOOxxx**

'**_What in Merlin's name is going on!'_** Snape rasped several days later after he barged into the Library and found Jessica shelving books. It was Hogsmeade weekend and the students who hadn't gone home for the weekend were in the village. **_'Have you any idea about the state Lucius Malfoy is in? Supposedly he has been harassing you and you set him up?!'_**

'**The state _he's_ in?!** **You're having a laugh!!** **_He came in here looking for me and it was everything I could do to convince him we didn't need privacy – in my office!_** Thank God I wasn't as alone as I thought! You weren't there! You didn't hear what he said or how he said it! You didn't see the way he looked at me! You also haven't read the note he sent to me which I have gratefully handed over to Liam McKenzie now that Professor Dumbledore and Minerva have read it – I can see why Narcissa Malfoy tries to keep her husband on a very tight leash!'

'_**No!'**_

'Oh do me a favour! Him coming here in the first place was no thanks to your favourite! Draco just had to go running off his mouth about me to his father…and especially about our little run-in at the World Cup! And just like always he couldn't leave well enough alone and **lied**!'

'I know; I was there. He stupidly admitted that he alluded to Lucius participating in…certain salubrious events at the World Cup. It was foolish to have acted as he did and I made it quite clear to him in Lucius' presence.'

'Did you _really_?' Jessica snorted. 'Well – dear old daddy wanted a word with me himself. So it's obvious I need to really watch my back with poor put-upon _innocent_ Draco… But with you I'm not even allowed to stand up for myself or point out just how stupid he really is! Spoiled brat – always running to mommy and daddy **_OR YOU_**!'

'I really do not want to argue with you!'

'No of course you don't. Draco is always right now matter how wrong he is! And here you are – picking up where your _friend_ left off by harassing me! Why are you here DEFENDING him after everything he's put me through!' the Librarian snapped as she looked at her intake sheets and checked the list against the box of books at her feet.

'You're speaking to me…' Snape commented. 'I suppose I can take that as a good sign at the very least.'

'I never stopped speaking to you, remember?'

'No, no you didn't,' he replied softly.

_He wanted her to look at him, to see that he was hurting too…and that he was scared for her, more frightened than he'd ever been in his life._

'Is there something you need here besides playing messenger boy for your mate?'

_She was so cold and businesslike…and bordering on hateful_

'_Most Potente Potions_…'

'You have a copy…'

'I… can't find it…'

'A house-elf could – wouldn't take more than 5 seconds. You should know that better than I do. Although it is quite odd given how orderly you are.'

'I can see you were sorted into the right House – I certainly did not think of that myself, though I suppose I should have.'

'Hmmph – your friend agrees with you about my sorting…'

_Still she wouldn't look at him…she hated him that much? _

'I'm sorry to have disturbed you,' Snape said hesitantly.

'It's clear we don't have anything to say to each other; just leave me alone!'

_So bitter and disconnected; is that what being with him had done to her?_

Jessica stood and stacked the last of her books on a shelf. Severus reached out to her and put a hand on one of hers.

'Please be careful; _Lucius Malfoy is_ _up to something_, I know he is!' he whispered.

Jessica snatched her hand back as though she'd been stung and stormed to the front desk with Snape trailing in her wake.

'There are a few tomes I require,' He said loudly as a group of students walked by the Library doors.

Jessica handed him a request form without looking up.

'_There was a time you would have never been so cold to me…' _he spat.

'There was a time when I fooled myself that you actually cared about me. You hurt me, Severus, in every way a man can hurt a woman. You did everything you could to break me and let me know just how worthless I was when you decided you wanted nothing more to do with me. I've woken up to the fact that I don't really know you at all – and I've paid a high price for that! You got what you wanted; now deal with it and stay out of my face!''

Jessica picked up some books and headed to the second floor.

Snape's dark head was bent over the form as though to fill it out, but his eyes watched her until she had passed from view. The lump in his chest wouldn't disappear so easily; it never did when they were in the same room together or when he thought of her. He shoved the paper in his robes and swept from the Library, seeking an absolution it seemed would never come – and with the sombre grey eyes of Cedric Diggory boring through his back.

**xxxOOOxxx**

Two weeks had passed since the altercation with Lucius Malfoy. Professors McGonagall and Dumbledore had collected statements from students and staff about incidents they'd either witnessed or been subjected to instigated by him. Several Governors had stepped forward and filed complaints of their own. Lucius Malfoy's days as Governor of Hogwarts was effectively over and so were those of the Governors who'd supported him for so long.

The school was starting afresh and given the importance of what was happening with the TriWizard Tournament, the consensus was that it had happened just in time. New Governors were in place and for the first time in its history, the staff was to have their own Council of elected members who would rotate each year. The Council and the Governors would jointly address the concerns of the school and its administration.

The only ones who were decidedly unhappy with this change in affairs were Lucius Malfoy and his son.

And Severus.

**xxxOOOxxx**

'You shouldn't be up here; it's closing time…' Jessica commented as she looked up from her desk into familiar gray eyes.

She'd taken to retreating to the privacy of her office as much as possible when she didn't have to be in the Library itself.

'I need some things for my Herbology term paper…' Cedric replied.

He handed her the list given to him by Professor Sprout. They would have to go into the Severely Restricted Section. Students weren't allowed to go, not even with a teacher's note. There were keys to the door and keys to each locked stack of books. Unfortunately it meant that she would have to go deep into the bowels of the Library. Even Jessica had to admit it; she didn't particularly like it back there.

'I can come back later for them…' Cedric suggested, not wanting to upset her. He didn't want her to think he was manipulating things so that he could see her. But he did want to see her, he missed her so much.

'It's ok,' Jessica sighed as she began to walk.

It took them a good 15 minutes, but at least she found the right door. She closed and locked it behind them and set about getting Cedric his books. He said nothing and simply followed her around, acutely aware that he shouldn't be there with her.

They had just collected the last book when he realised that she was blinking back tears.

'What's wrong?' he asked gently as he reached and took her hand in his.

'Nothing' Jessica said tightly as she let it go and turned to go back downstairs.

'_Lucius Malfoy and Severus,'_ she thought to herself. '_Damn them both to the farthest reaches of hell!''_

**xxxOOOxxx**

Mercifully it was Hogsmeade weekend and Jessica could escape her demons for two days. There were few students about and she could enjoy the solitude. Still, she would have preferred at least some company – Cedric's. They hadn't spoken about the recent turn of events. As far as anyone still knew, he was just another student.

Jessica had taken to spending time at her deceased son's grave especially when the students were likely to be in the village. She'd find herself tidying his small grave and putting down a small memento so that he would know that she'd come and still loved him. It made no sense and didn't exactly fit in with her Native American traditions, but it did do _something_ for her. She never left her little gifts, instead she'd take them back with her to her quarters where they were put away in a locked wooden box.

However on this particular day she was feeling more upset than usual. Draco Malfoy was being particularly hateful, even more so than usual, and Severus right along with him. She'd just had yet another run-in with the Potions Master and had positively fled. For someone who didn't want to be bothered with her, he invested a lot of time being horrible towards her.

The Librarian sat on the cold ground crying hard and feeling more put-upon than ever.

She felt a hand on her shoulder and recoiled instantly.

'It's only me,' Cedric murmured. 'I've seen you come out here before and I was hoping I'd find you…'

Jessica couldn't find the words to speak to him, nor could she find the power to look at him. She realised just how much he really didn't know about her – just like she hadn't known anything about Severus and still didn't.

'What did he do to you?'

'What are you talking about?'

'Professor Snape – what did he do to you?'

'Nothing…'

'I've seen what his sort of _'nothing' _does to you.'

'You have?'

'More times than I would like to count; you were involved with him, weren't you?'

'You must think I'm really pathetic…'

'I don't understand it; but it's not really my business.'

'No – it is. There is so much you don't know Cedric. And before you start I am not trying to push you away from me. But I know what it's like to wake up one day and wonder just who the hell this person is that you would have sold your soul to the devil for. I still don't know anything about him except how much it hurts to think that I loved him so much. I would have done anything for him…'

Cedric sat down and put an arm around her.

'You can't help who you fall in love with,' he said gently. 'I think it shows just how exceptional you are.'

'Exceptionally stupid; yes I am.'

'No, you're not,' Cedric said as he looked around the ancient graveyard and then directed his attention to where Jessica was sitting.

'Would you still feel the same if you knew…' Jessica mumbled as she stared at the small pile of stones that marked her son's grave. The small pile of stones that had a small baby rattle sitting on them.

She finally looked up and realised that Cedric was staring at the rattle; staring rather thoughtfully.

The Hufflepuff was thinking over the past year and particularly last Spring. The glow that Jessica had had then which couldn't have just been the pash that some of the students had thought she'd had on some unknown guy. Falling in love didn't make a woman look the way she'd look then. He'd seen pictures of his mother when she was pregnant with him and his aunt when she was expecting his cousins – the glow that they had…

'You had a baby by him,' he said tensely. 'You had a baby by him and it died.'

Jessica nodded and then reached for the rattle, clutching it tightly. She pulled her legs up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them.

'_Holy Merlin…'_

'Get yourself a good girl, Cedric. Someone who isn't so tainted as me. Someone who can give you the babies you want and who won't embarrass you in front of all your friends.'

Tears were streaming down the Librarian's face and Cedric pried the rattle from her hands and placed it back on the stones. He pulled her to him and held her as she cried.

'I'm not going anywhere,' he said firmly. '…and my life won't end if we don't have children...'

'You have your whole life ahead of you…' Jessica said sadly. 'There isn't a girl at Hogwarts who wouldn't give her right arm to be with you and we both know it. Cho Chang is certainly working overtime to get your attention… She's young, she's fairly popular… She's already thinking about the beautiful babies you could give her. You want children – even you have told me that!'

'I'm not giving up on you, I told you that. And I'm not interested in her; I know what she's up to. I can't make a move without her turning up with that shadow of hers. She talks too damn much sometimes for a start; there isn't any part of my life that would be private. To her I'm like some trophy – she's a competitive girl. But she'll get bored and move onto someone else. Girls like her always do. And having children isn't everything – certainly not the way you think it does. If we have them, fine; if we don't that's OK too.'

'I've never known anyone like you Cedric, that's the truth. But there is so much more that you don't know!'

'And that's how I feel about you,' he replied before giving Jessica a kiss. 'I don't understand how he could walk away from you – but I'm glad he did. If he hadn't then we wouldn't be together. Being with you is all I care about, no matter how bad you think your secrets are!'

'I've missed you,' Jessica murmured as she leaned into him. 'I've missed you so much…'

Cedric stood and helped the Librarian to her feet.

'I've missed you too…'

Jessica looked in his eyes. She'd never known anyone to fight so hard for her. But he'd stuck by her with all the drama surrounding Lucius Malfoy and he'd weathered the revelation of her most peculiar situation with Severus. Perhaps she was just making a mountain out of a molehill?

'Come to me…' she found herself pleading. 'There's another entrance to my rooms; I only realised what it was last week.'

'Tonight?'

'No – now…'

The two lovers took a circuitous route back to the castle…and to Jessica's quarters.


	29. Perception & Understanding

**Plot, new characters, new magical terms and abilities etc. are my intellectual property. If you want to borrow then please kindly ask. JK Rowling's characters and Wizarding Universe are all uniquely hers.**

**Summary: AU: What if everything we ever read in JK Rowling's books was real – including the people characterised? What would you do if you found yourself caught up in that reality knowing what was to come? SS, CD, OC **

**_Authors Note:_ _It has been mentioned in the story but now I am noting it here. I am a fan of Diana Gabaldon's 'Outlander'/'Cross Stitch' series and definitely was influenced by that in writing this story – i.e. the Standing Stones and traveling through time. But I also love Philip Pullman's 'His Dark Materials' series and the tv programme 'Sliders' and the alternate universes alongside ours idea comes from there no doubt._**

**Fantasy/Drama**

**This story is rated R/M.**

**ENIGMA**

**Chapter 029: Perception & Understanding**

A day that Jessica had particularly dreaded was upon them. It was Halloween and the delegations from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang were due to arrive around dinnertime. All she'd heard was no end of stories about both schools and their practices, much of it highly dubious indeed. Increasingly she was becoming very dissatisfied with her work. It wasn't surprising, given how much she had loathed anything that wasn't creative in her own world.

She was strolling through the grounds only half-listening as Harry, Ron and Hermione nattered away as they walked with her. The Boy Who Lived was on speaking terms with her again, and she knew that Hermione had everything to do with. Hogwarts' resident know-it-all did have a flair for pointing out the obvious to Harry, even if he didn't always take her advice or get the strong hints. Sometimes he just didn't think as he ought and it brought him nothing but trouble.

Jessica held back a snort – that certainly applied to her and in more ways than one.

They reached Hagrid's hut and he called them in for tea and his special rock biscuits.

'Aren't you worried?' Hermione asked her after they had taken their seats.

'What?'

'I said, aren't you worried?' Hermione repeated. 'Draco Malfoy wants to blame you for the way his father's treated people over the years.'

'My situation is my situation. The rest of it has nothing to do with me…'

'Maybe, but I don't think that all the rest would have gone to Dumbledore and Minister Umbridge if it hadn't been for what happened with you…' Ron suggested. 'Even Mum thinks so…'

'Look – I had no idea Professor McGonagall was even in the Library, let alone three Ravenclaws and a Hufflepuff!' Jessica snapped. 'I know Draco is carrying tales that I somehow was so clever that I set his father up, but it didn't happen like that! For God's sake, if I had realised anyone was there I would have called time! But I wasn't prepared to go up to my office alone with him. I'd have to be barking mad to do that!'

'We all know what Lucius Malfoy is like, see?' Hagrid said as he set out cups and saucers for each of them. 'But it's always been whispered about. Not too many dare come out against him. If yeh ask me they're more afraid of what they think he can do more than they are of what he's actually capable of doing. Don't get me wrong though, he is a nasty character! Some o' the folks he's dealt with in Knockturn Alley could tell you things.'

'Like Borgin at _Borgin and Burke's_. I heard it for myself about all the Dark Arts crap that he's tried to get rid of from his Manor!' Harry said angrily. 'Anyway, Draco pretty much admitted to us that his father was one of them at the Cup. What kind of man is he that even his own son knows what a monster he is and then struts around when all that crap is going on like it's something to be proud of?'

'The kind of man that would come here and try to play nice about the fact that I've called out his son for being so stupid to admit it…' Jessica said bitterly. 'He acted like it was some social call when it was anything but. Draco is over-indulged by the wife apparently and that's why he's the pretender to his father's throne… _Right_! He ended it by telling me I need to keep my mouth shut basically. That my _"directness could be misunderstood" of course the caveat was "…and we wouldn't want that, now would we?"'_

'My parents aren't fooled for a minute,' Ron said vehemently. 'Dad says that the Malfoys can say all they want, but he knows who the real disgrace to the name of wizard is! If You-Know-Who comes back – one guess as to who'll be celebrating!'

'Your father would do – as many times as Malfoy has interfered with his department and with his job! Lucius has had old Fudge in his pockets for too long,' said Hagrid. 'Believe you me – he may not have too many allies here at Hogwarts, but he's got plenty of them at the Ministry. All bidin' their time like yeh see? One clear sign of You-Know-Who and the battle lines would be drawn!'

'Dad said that in the last war, You-Know-Who had spies everywhere!' Ron said in a hushed voice.

'Yeuh! That he did – and they didn't come any bigger than Lucius Malfoy believe you me. You-Know-Who couldn't have gotten as much power as he did and they way he did without old Lucius financing it and doing quite a bit of the dirty work himself; him, the Lestranges and Blacks. All that business about being under the Imperius Curse! Load o' codswallop and everybody with sense knows it! Why – even Moody himself could tell Draco some things about his father that would curl his hair!'

'Professor Moody did say just that last week, after he turned young Draco into a ferret,' Jessica said casually.

'Nobody's ever been able to prove it though. I mean, I don't doubt that Lucius Malfoy is capable of incredible cruelty, especially not after the Cup,' Hermione said. 'But too many of the wrong people protect him. And he's very good at hiding his tracks to a degree. I don't understand it, all they'd have to do is listen to some of the Slytherins talk… I mean for Merlin's sake, talk about being indiscreet; I can't believe some of the things that come out of their mouths!'

'But that's exactly my point, Hermione,' Jessica said carefully, as she thought over events from Books 5 and 6. 'Nothing will cause more problems for Draco Malfoy than that damnable arrogance and big mouth that he has. And his parents must suffer from the same affliction if so many people know their business. All this gossip even in Knockturn Alley – they must have a serious Death Wish. Nobody's luck can hold out for that long if so many people know their secrets.'

'But those people probably have just as much to hide,' Hermione said knowingly.

'I agree – and that's what a lot of it came down to over the years. It's like the Nazis in World War Two in the Muggle World… well, like every war really when there is so much complicitness.'

'My parent's have told me about it,' Hermione said quietly. 'They lost a lot of family members in the camps…'

Jessica reached over and squeezed the Gryffindor's hands as the warning bell sounded for last of their classes for the day. The students only had two classes after lunch and then all were expected to prepare for the arrival of the foreigners. McGonagall expected them to be nothing less than immaculate.

'We better go – we'll have to leg it as it is,' Harry said as he rose.

'Are you coming back with us?' Ron asked Jessica.

'Nah – the Library's closed and I might as well make the most of having a blessed afternoon off from you lot!'

'Oh – but I wanted to…' Hermione began.

'Sinistra's essay can wait,' Jessica said firmly. 'You've got two whole weeks and knowing you it's probably almost finished. You don't need any more books that I've given you already.'

'Come on, get moving,' Harry said as he bounded out the door.

Hagrid watched for a moment as they ran up the steep hill to the castle and then close the door.

'Well, I've been wantin' ter have a wee word with yeh, like. Just with all the excitement there hasn't been much time…' Hagrid said carefully.

'Sounds serious…' Jessica replied as the gentle giant handed her another cup of tea.

'I been concerned, you know, since that whole thing with Malfoy kicked off. Nobody with sense blames you…'

'Hagrid, I honestly didn't know that he and I weren't alone. It was dead quiet in there. Rainy days are the only time I have any semblance of peace… Same as quite a few people it seems.'

'Take it as confirmation of just how much of a difference yeh've made. I've not known too many of them in yer club there to take work so serious-like before. Yeh've done that, no one else. Oh, we have some good teachers and all, but a lot o' them treat it like it's just a job, yeh know? Yeh make 'em take pride in themselves and try harder. Take young Hector Peterson, why the changes in him are amazing and I know for a fact that his Head of House is grateful to yeh for it!'

'Well – Professor Flitwick is a bit biased I think. But I suppose I am in the right house, all things considered.'

'Many of them think very highly of you, make no mistake!

'Oh come on, plenty of their teachers and the Heads do what they can; I'm certainly nothing special to the Ravens, trust me.'

'Codswallop! Now you look at Cho Chang – for as long as that girl has been here I've never known her to take to a teacher the way she has you!'

'**_She what?_** Hagrid, I'm not being funny, she doesn't really like me or want me around… She cant stand me!'

'Now that is definitely all in yer head, young lady! Why, she went before Dumbledore and the committee of governors that were left herself about what she saw! Wouldn't hear a bad word said against you by that Umbridge woman from the Ministry. That Umbridge; boy is she another one! Can smile to yer face while she's preparing to hit yeh with an Unforgivable and mean it!'

'_Cho Chang_ – _defended_ – **_me_**; and to Minister **_Umbridge_**?!''

'Yeuh! That she did indeed! Oh that simp Edgecombe tried to talk her out of from what Cho said. But she stood her ground, she did!

'Mariette Edgecombe is a sneak – a hardcore, shyte-stirring sneak… I wouldn't put anything past her especially to save her own neck.'

'And don't yeh forget it!'

Jessica fell silent, trying not to think about how much she seriously disliked Cho and only because of what she knew from fiction – and the unmistakable fact that the Ravenclaw Seeker was attracted to Cedric. However, the Librarian also knew that Marietta seemed to take it as almost a personal affront that Cedric didn't return Cho's interest and the sneak also didn't like Jessica at all. If Marietta could see her gone from Ravenclaw she'd be too happy.

She looked up, and noticed that Hagrid's cheeks were slightly pink.

'And what are you blushing for?' she asked innocently.

'I can think of quite of few of the lads, erm young men, that would miss yeh if yeh ever left…'

'Mmm…they'd miss me practically doing their homework for them.'

'Since when does Cedric Diggory need that much help with his homework?'

Jessica nearly spat out her tea as she coughed. Hagrid started to pat her on the back, but realised he would probably break a bone and instead just tapped her with his pinky.

'Ta Hagrid,' Jessica said with watering eyes. 'I s..swallowed the wrong way…'

'Yeuh – that Cedric has turned out to be quite the young man. Never seen one with so much promise. And he's so down-to-earth about it all. Yeh'd never know he was as gifted as he is. Now that's one that Draco Malfoy could learn from, yes he could.'

'I wouldn't know,' Jessica said airily. 'He comes to me for help now and then like everyone else…'

Hagrid walked over to the door, opened it and looked out. Satisfied that they were still well and truly alone he closed it again.

'I think Severus is still very fond of yeh, Jessica. In fact, I would say he's in danger of falling very hard for yeh all over again!'

'Severus? Impossible! He doesn't open his mouth except to…'

'Warn yeh! Protect yeh! Jessica, have yeh no idea the lengths that man has gone to for yeh. He just wanted to try and correct Dumbledore's mistakes with yeh, yeh know?'

'Hagrid, I can assure you I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about. Severus doesn't say anything to me unless it's to criticise!'

'Listen to me! I know his methods aren't exactly… well… _right_… But I know as sure as I'm standing here that he's never gotten over yeh or what happened. He is in pain and it's not getting better!

'What did the Headmaster do that was so wrong?'

'He interfered where he ought not to have done! Instead of keeping certain people from yeh, it lead 'em right to yeh!'

The Librarian's eyes went wide.

'_Lucius Malfoy,'_ she said slowly.

'Yeuh,' the giant said with a nod. 'Severus has been worried sick! This thing with Lucius – he's fascinated by you in ways he shouldn't be and it's dangerous! Now that yer in with the McKenzies – well, that's thrown him, and bizarrely enough made yeh all the more interestin' to him!'

'But it's not himself he's thinking about, is it? It's _You-Know-Who_…' Jessica said slowly as the realization dawned on her.

Hagrid nodded his agreement sombrely.

'As sure as I'm sitting here; that man is gearing up for something. That nonsense at the Cup was only the start. Severus isn't stupid, he's seein' the signs already and so is Dumbledore, mark me words.'

'I can't believe it!'

'You-Know-Who is surely coming back! I've always said he was just too mean and evil to die! Nope – I always reckoned that he was out there somewhere just waiting. And so has Dumbledore and Severus!'

'I've said I'll stand by you when the time comes…'

'I know yeh have, lass and no one can ever begrudge yeh fer it. But listen to me, the role yeh have to play may end up being much more than yeh want to see at the moment.'

'How? Why? I mean – this is all about Harry really…'

'We've all got our parts to play. But…'

Hagrid fell into a frustrated silence.

'_But thanks to the Headmaster mine isn't going to be as simple as sitting around making the Order tea and crumpets and being a shoulder to cry on, that's it; isn't it?'_

'I know Lucius Malfoy, Jessica. Just like I knew his Master! Yeuh – Tom Riddle was a schoolmate of mine, the Tom Riddle who became Lord… You-Know-Who. He was calling himself Lord… whatsis even when he were here! I've known Lucius since he were a Hogwarts student and all. He's a chop off his father's block! Bad blood them Malfoys got! I know all too well what people like them are capable of 'cause I've seen it first hand with me own two eyes I have! Lucius doesn't give a stuff' about the fact that you spoke to Draco like you did, you think he don't owl the same things to the boy about ten times a week? You have a mighty fine brain there and most of wizards fail at logic. Someone like yeh, like Severus before yeh, would a great asset to whichever side yeh fought fer. _Do yeh see? Do yeh see now why Severus is so worried fer yeh?_'

'Oh. My. God! I could end up…'

'Even against yer will; yes yeh most certainly could! Dumbledore; he didn't mean fer it to happen, honestly he didn't!'

'And yet it wouldn't stop him from using it to his advantage, now would it?'

'Yeh make it sound like…'

'There I go – I need to curb my enthusiasm for speaking so plainly.'

'Well – yeuh; yeh should definitely. Yer not trained up like us, yeh can't protect yerself like we can, not yet. Even I'm at risk without a wand…'

'You don't have a wand? But all wizards have wands, don't they?' she muttered quietly as she stared into her teacup.

Hagrid told Jessica the story of how his wand had come to be snapped in two because of false accusations against him pressed by one Tom Riddle during their days as students together at Hogwarts. Riddle had unleashed a monstrous Basilisk on the school and there were deaths because of it. Hagrid got the blame because of his affection for magical creatures, quite deadly magical creatures. He'd been keeping a baby of a giant spider hidden, mainly to protect it until it was able to leave and survive on its own. Riddle twisted things around and fabricated 'proof' that causes Hagrid to be sent down before the Ministry. His wand was snapped and he was banned from furthering his education at Hogwarts and from practicing magic. Dumbledore, who had been Headmaster at the time, took him on in his current position. There was no place else Hagrid could have gone even if he'd wanted to. His parents were no longer alive by then.

'That's outrageous,' Jessica said carefully because she did already know much of the story from what she'd read, 'But Hagrid, since everyone knows that you're innocent now, why are you still banned from studying or practicing magic?'

The gentle giant looked at her mournfully. 'I never thought about it to be honest…'

'Professor Dumbledore is on the Wizengamot. He kept Severus out of Azkaban, although in his debt… Surely he could do something for you too?'

'Nah – best to forget about it… pointless.'

'Nothing worth having is ever pointless – especially when it comes to who you are. You're a wizard, Hagrid, and you deserve to not have to sneak around with that dodgy pink umbrella!'

'Um…umbrella? How did you know about that?' Hagrid sputtered in shock.

'Erm – you've used it a few times in front of me,' Jessica lied, hoping that she looked and sounded convincing.

'Oh, yeuh, yeuh I did, didn't I? Night you first came to us, I think…was chuckin' it down there if I 'member correctly.'

'Yes, that was the first time if I'm thinking straight. It's nothing to worry about, I won't breathe a word.

'Yeh really think I should petition the Ministry and all?'

'Well – try to bring it up casually with the Headmaster. See what he says. You might ask Severus; he tends to have his finger on the pulse of things like this. If you don't, then perhaps we should sort out something less awkward than that umbrella – or getting you a new wand from abroad…'

'You sure that Hat didn't put you in the wrong House?'

'Must have been all that Slytherin shagging with Severus…'

'Jessica!' Hagrid roared as she stood up.

She needed to get back to her rooms and get ready to meet and greet their guests for the rest of the school year. That would no doubt be as mind-blowing as everything else so far.

'Will yeh give a chance to prove himself to yeh? He knows he's made mistakes an'…'

'…and he wouldn't want you to be fighting his corner over a failed romance.'

'No, perhaps not. But someone has to. Yeh need each other, Jessica. I know he was wrong actin' like he did when the yeh lost the wee one. He didn't know how to cope – he loved yeh so much and the wee mite! He was lookin' forward ter being a father! All he talked about to me as the day was long! Jessica this and Jessica that. The baby this and the baby that! Didn't care if it were a boy or a girl; he loved it because he loved yeh and that's all there is to it! But he was distraught over losing it and almost losing yeh in the process!'

Jessica's eyes filled with tears.

'Then how could make me feel like he hated me for it!'

'Hate is just the flipside o' love, isn't it lass? Even now, no matter what you tell yerself, yeh know that the goodness in him loved you somethin' fierce. He's never cared about anyone the way he has with yeh. And when yeh left here – it broke it heart.'

Jessica began to sob and Hagrid moved his chair closer and clasped both her hands in one of his, taking care not to hurt her.

'He's made some mistakes with yeh, right? – but I reckon yeh've made just as many with him and because of him too.'

'Hagrid,' Jessica rasped. 'You have no idea what I've done! He'd never forgive me, no more than I can forgive myself!'

'The two of yeh need to sort this out! Yeh had something that was good and pure! I seen it! I know yeh did! He's…complicated and does what he thinks is best for reasons that are good.'

'He made me feel worthless! He was harsh and cold and unfeeling; I questioned my sanity! I thought I must be crazy for loving and wanting a man that despised me so much!'

'He didn't mean to! Honestly…'

A mental image of Cedric swam in front of Jessica's eyes. That moment at the World Cup was one thing and even at his parents home. But their two interludes since returning to Hogwarts were something else.

Hagrid could see that the Librarian was seriously conflicted, but thought it simply because of Severus and how he'd treated her all those months ago. He encouraged her to just think about it, and don't be so mean to the professor when he tries so hard with her.

Jessica simply nodded and then headed back to the castle.

**xxxOOOxxx**

Jessica didn't waste time once she returned to her quarters. She had been crazy to think that this mad trip to another world could work. Her curiosity had gotten the better of her in more ways than one and now she was paying a price for it, too high a price. And she'd ruined at least three people's lives in the process: Severus, Remus and Cedric.

She looked around the place one more time that had started to feel like a home. As everyone else in the castle prepared for meet the delegations from Durmstrang and Beauxbatons, Jessica Newkirk disappeared leaving only a short note behind to confirm that she was gone.

And never coming back.

* * *

**xxxOOOxxx**

**xxxOOOxxx**

**From the author:**

Many thanks to those taking the time to read!

If you like the story and don't have a problem with the twists and turns in the plot or the finer details, I'd love to hear from you; really I would! Don't be shy! I know from the stats I have plenty of readers who are sticking with it and that is truly fantastic! I'd love to know who you all are though LOL

**Re: Chapter 28**

It's all in the details folks…just like the chapters before it.

**Native Americans:** Anyone with questions about why a Native American would comment that some might find it odd that they felt so at home in the Highlands should the read the preceding chapters again, as its right there in the detail and from no less than Snape and Dumbledore. Nothing untoward about it as I am Nanticoke-Lenni Lenape myself (and all of the factoids I have written about us are fact) living in London as some of you know…nobody on either side of the Atlantic understands why I would keep myself from my people or how I can be comfortable in Britain and not have returned home for a visit for so many years. Self-insertion? JKR did it with Hermione and freely admits it – no shame there. My people aren't represented much anywhere, so when I feel inspired I like to feature us. Given our traditions, they can work well with the world of HP I feel.

**The Clan McKenzie:** there will be more to come about them when the time is right in the story…perhaps sooner than might be expected if you let the story carry on….

**Cedric + Jessica:** Nobody has a clue at the moment what is going on with Cedric and Jessica and they haven't done anything to give it away. This does not mean that things will continue to be this way – but at the moment nobody has any idea and that's that. McGonagall can't disapprove of what she doesn't know about – besides which, some strong details have been dropped about _her own_ domestic situation… We know from canon that the Deputy Headmistress isn't about bending the rules when it suits her despite the fact that she does take points from her own House. This is AU and I'm playing with perceptions and canon facts to be sure – but the storyline lends itself tremendously to that.

And for the record – it wasn't ONLY Cedric that came to Jessica's defense by telling the truth about what they witnessed in the Library. Terry Boot did and McGonagall herself according to what I did write. I haven't even commented on Cho or Marietta yet; but one of them did go (as you know now if you read this chapter). Others came forward to talk about other transgressions at the hands of the Malfoys over the years including students and other staff members along with some of the governors themselves. I even mentioned Susan Bones and her aunt – given that her aunt the Judge dies in Book 6, something's coming on that score

The fact that readers know Cedric and Jessica are involved is one thing, but no one else in the story has any idea yet. And I do emphasise **yet**. Her miscarriage has NOTHING to do with the reason why she's with Cedric. As people have commented in this story – you can't help who you love. Perhaps we should, but even in real-life most of us cannot help who we are attracted to and end up with.

I still have a long way to go with this story. Ten chapters from now things might have changed considerably. Or perhaps only a very little. The more people harp on a certain aspect of the story, the more inclined I am to stick with it.

**The Malfoys:** Draco knew that his father was one of the thugs raping, pillaging and god knows what else at the Cup and he did not kept his mouth shut about it (this is not too dissimilar from canon where do know that Lucius was one of the people rampaging at the Cup and Draco shoots his mouth off to the Trio about it – although not in explicit terms and the end result was the same – the Trio understood exactly what he meant and knew that Malfoy Senior was one of those wearing Death Eater masks torturing the Robertses). Snape confirmed this to Jessica. Its also fairly obvious that Snape was taken aback at the sight of Lucius being so laid back with her and he goes on to warn her later to be careful, that Lucius IS up to something. Jessica has every right to be as concerned as she is – and at the fact that Malfoy Senior wasn't being given the exact truth. Draco's reinterpretation brings Lucius to the school rather than Narcissa whom McGonagall has already clear has come quite a few times to flat out lie about Jessica at the behest of her son.

Lucius was one of the masked men – and Jessica was violently attacked and almost raped herself. He is Death Eater loyal to Voldemort and she is well aware it, unlike most of the people around her except for Snape and perhaps Dumbledore. If Lucius wanted to address Jessica personally, Hogwarts was the wrong place to do it given his comments were related to the Cup. Jessica rightly pointed out: _'You are a School Governor. Mr. Malfoy; any staff member who receives a visit from you is always well-aware of it. I have no doubt that you would do whatever you think necessary to force me from this school. You have the power to do it – it's that simple.' _Lucius uses his and abuses his power, which has already been made clear earlier in the story. An opportunity arose to finally be rid of his pestilence and it was seized on.

Why would anyone in their right mind want him as a school governor when he threatens and intimidates everyone around him to get what he wants and (as will be borne out later) no one really believed his story of being under the Imperius Curse in the First War? He's out because he's a bastard and people finally got their act together to do something about it, plain and simple. Jessica's situation wasn't even the tip of a formidable iceberg. Everyone has said how he rules Hogwarts…

As for complaints against Draco – most around concede that he is exactly as Jessica sees that he is. She sees clearly that he is not dissimilar to his character in the books. He is a spoilt, arrogant, petulant brat who is always going to his father especially about one thing or another – particularly one Harry Potter. It gets results all through the books – and it's gotten him results in this story too.

**Lucius + Jessica:** Like many a successful man in business or politics who wields more power than one man should possibly have (and especially Slytherins according to HP lore), Lucius is very cunning, manipulative and more than a bit ruthless. He didn't stay out of Azkaban after the First War for nothing. It was clear even at the Cup that he had an agenda with Jessica when they first met. Even then his wife's back was up about her and she has gone on to complain about Jessica quite a bit. Could it be that she wants Jessica out of Hogwarts for reasons of her own?

Arthur Weasley saw that Lucius was up to something and was too interested in Jessica. Jessica noted from the beginning of the last chapter that she didn't want to be alone with him – that implies she already knows that to do so would be dangerous. And Lucius clearly didn't believe that he was alone, based on his observation when McGonagall pops out. He played the game as he saw fit, but his thinly veiled threat about Jessica's propensity to be so forthright spoke volumes (or should have!). That comment wasn't just for her! Now Snape has made it clear: everything that Malfoy Senior is doing is for a reason, but even he doesn't know what. _We also know that after the visit Lucius sent Jessica a note – the contents of which made her take it straight to McGonagall and the Headmaster and then hand it over to Liam because she now understood "why Narcissa keeps him on a very tight leash". _So much for Mr. Nice Guy!

The fact that he can **appear **to be reasonable should raise red flags because he's a nasty piece of work – consistent with Canon but stepped up a notch; mainly because Jason Isaacs portrays him so very well and he does seem quite evil in the fims! LOL But several of the characters have commented on what Lucius is like, even Liam McKenzie and even Terry Boot weighed in.

And for the record again: Lucius did threaten Jessica: _"But I would say this: speaking as one finds is not always appropriate in every society. I quite enjoy your directness...but it could lead you to be misunderstood – and we wouldn't want that, now would we?"_ A thinly-veiled threat, but a threat nonetheless. Do I really need to say that it is a "thinly-veiled threat"? The fact that he **appears** to be polite almost to the point of obliging and assures her that they will meet and talk again should be a serious worry given what we know he's like! It's also another perhaps another thread into the "who tried to kill Jessica to prevent her coming in the first place" scenario – a core aspect of this story in case anyone's forgotten. We are working up to that and some mighty clues have been dropped along the way - if you caught them. The Librarian was encouraged to stand up for herself and not take any crap basically – but while it is good advice in some ways, it could also be the undoing of her big time in others. And perhaps it just might be…in time…. But she's got the Clan McKenzie behind her and Lucius is afraid of them… Interesting… and all will be revealed in time…

**Jessica: ** Well the road she is traveling isn't an easy one. For a start she knows too much about the major events around her. However, she is seeing that things aren't necessarily as they seem in the books. Now I am playing fast with canon – and it's fun to do! But there is a point to everything that I have written and some things will be more obvious than others. However if you don't feel sympathetic, you just don't. People make mistakes and she's going to make heaps of them in this story. I don't expect the story to resonate with everyone, but I'd like to think if you've made it this far then something keeps you going even if it's not her…


	30. Missing

**Plot, new characters, new magical terms and abilities etc. are my intellectual property. If you want to borrow then please kindly ask. JK Rowling's characters and Wizarding Universe are all uniquely hers.**

**Summary: AU: What if everything we ever read in JK Rowling's books was real – including the people characterised? What would you do if you found yourself caught up in that reality knowing what was to come? SS, CD, OC **

**_Authors Note:_ _It has been mentioned in the story but now I am noting it here. I am a fan of Diana Gabaldon's 'Outlander'/'Cross Stitch' series and definitely was influenced by that in writing this story – i.e. the Standing Stones and traveling through time. But I also love Philip Pullman's 'His Dark Materials' series and the tv programme 'Sliders' and the alternate universes alongside ours idea comes from there no doubt._**

_**NOTE: this chapter includes a line from the Matrix - **"To deny one's impulses is to deny being human"_

**Fantasy/Drama**

**This story is rated R/M.**

**ENIGMA**

**Chapter 030: Missing**

When Jessica didn't gather with the rest of the students and staff to greet their guests, McGonagall began to feel uneasy.

'You're sure she was alright, Hagrid?' she asked anxiously.

'She was fine! Fit as a fiddle! She were headed back up here to get ready she said!'

Hermione, Ron and Harry were standing nearby and overheard the whispered exchange.

'You don't think she's freaked about Lucius Malfoy, do you?' Ron asked in a hushed tone.

'That – and whatever it was that Hagrid went on about after we left,' Hermione replied nervously. 'I saw her coming back up the hill from my window – she was there for a long time after we'd gone!'

'What could he have said to upset her that much?' said Ron.

'Are you serious? This is Hagrid we're talking about!' Harry hissed. 'He can be so bloody thick sometimes.'

'I'll bet whatever he said to her pushed her over the edge,' Ron said. 'He doesn't think as much as he should do, Mum says. I agree with her actually…'

'He only means well. You know he worries after her too – just like we all do,' Hermione said in hushed tones.

**xxxOOOxxx**

Their guests were welcomed into the Great Hall and everyone commented on the fact that Viktor Krum, the world-famous Quidditch player from Bulgaria, was not only a student – he was there as a potential candidate for the TriWizard Tournament. But the elation was short-lived when it was noticed that Jessica was not among them at her usual place at the staff table. They suffered through dinner and the formal acknowledgement of their guests place amongst their number. They paid attention to Dumbledore's speech about the Tournament and its perils; and about the Goblet of Fire. There was a lot of excited conversation throughout the Great Hall, with the exception of a few staff and students.

'Something's wrong; I know it is,' Harry whispered fretfully to Hermione after they had finished dinner and were on their way back to their dormitories in Gryffindor. 'She's put all the business with Snape behind her – she doesn't have a reason to stay away!'

'Harry for God's sake – can you at least try to be discreet!' Hermione rasped in a low voice. 'But so am I…'

'She can't be sick – I mean not that quick surely!' Ron commented. 'You don't think that wotsisname got to her do you?'

'Considering what's happened – nothing would surprise me…' Harry said grimly.

'He wouldn't be that stupid; everyone would know it's him,' said Hermione. 'He's cleverer than that.

Their thoughts about the Goblet of Fire were pushed to the side as they thought about one of their favourite staff members.

'Stranger things have happened – and she's been a bit…out of sorts lately I think,' Ron said diplomatically as they stood up to leave for their dormitories. 'Look at what happened to Ginny two years ago – you couldn't have convinced me that something like that would happen to her!;

'Yeah – and at the hands of Lucius Malfoy; how ironic!' Harry hissed.

'But this was such a big deal, and even Dumbledore's worried – just look!' Harry said as he jerked his head.

The Headmaster was having a word with Flitwick and McGonagall with Snape hovering looking grimmer than usual.

**xxxOOOxxx**

Jessica breathed a sigh of relief now that the Scotland was well and truly behind her. She would completely disappear and start all over again. As Dumbledore had rightly said, there was a significant advantage to being able to exist with Muggles the way she had done.

She'd hated her bank back in her own world and hadn't gotten around to researching the alternatives in this world. For once she wasn't beating herself up about being so lazy. She hadn't even opened an account at Gringotts; instead she exchanged her Hogwarts salary for British currency and kept her money with her, as foolish as it was. The exchange rates always tilted heavily in her favour. Jessica was convinced that she'd wind up an old bag lady with thousands of pounds stuffed in a rancid mattress...

It was almost two in the morning when she began her search for a Best Westenra motel, famous for being open twenty-four hours a day. A quick search of an interactive information kiosk revealed one that was quite near and in no time at all she had booked in and paid for her room.

The former Librian's head had barely touched the pillow before she fell into a fitful sleep, dreaming only of the love she'd had and lost.

**xxxOOOxxx**

When Jessica didn't turn up for breakfast the next morning, panic began to set in amongst those who were the closest to her. Mid-morning the Trio were called to Professor Dumbledore's office. When they arrived they were surprised to see Hagrid there along with Professors McGonagall, Flitwick Sprout and Snape.

'Good morning,' Dumbledore said. 'I won't keep you long…'

'What's going on, Sir? Is something wrong with Jess…Miss Newkirk?' Harry sputtered.

There was a strained silence before the Headmaster answered.

'It would appear that Miss Newkirk has gone missing…'

'What do you mean, _"missing"?_

'She has gone from her rooms and there has been no sign of her in the castle or on the grounds.' Dumbledore said grimly. 'She has not taken all of her things and…'

Just then the Prefects for each of the four Houses entered the room.

'Thank you for coming,' McGonagall said nervously. 'What we are about to put to you must be kept in the strictest of confidence.'

'Of course,' Cedric replied over the mumbled responses of his fellow Prefects. 'What's going on?'

'Miss Newkirk is missing. It appears as though she's been gone since late yesterday afternoon,' Sprout answered sadly.

The Hufflepuff Quidditch Captain's mouth opened, but he could not find the words to speak. He willed himself to get a grip and hold himself together.

'How? What happened to her?'

'We don't know as yet,' McGonagall replied tersely. 'But we will find out, that I assure you.'

'We must keep the alarm amongst our population to a minimum and particularly with our guests,' Dumbledore said firmly. 'But I must impress upon you the necessity of keeping your eyes open. Given recent events…'

''What if she's gone for reasons that have nothing to do with the Cup or anything that's happened since the term started?' Harry interrupted as he glared at Snape.

'Mr. Potter you will hold your tongue!' Professor McGonagall barked. 'I understand you have formed an attachment to Miss Newkirk as a number of your peers have, but do not think for one moment that you have all the answers or know her so very well!'

'Then why are we here?' Harry asked through clenched teeth.

'You were amongst the last to see and speak with her,' Snape relied coldly. 'Have you any information to relate which might prove useful?'

'Aside from the fact that we all agree Lucius Malfoy is a right bastard and the same can be said for anyone that scum associates with – NO!' Harry hissed.

'_Then there is no point to your remaining – is there!'_

Harry took a step forward and started to speak but was silenced by the Headmaster.

'You three may go – for now. I implore you to speak nothing of this to your classmates or any of the other staff! As far as you are aware nothing is wrong. Should anyone comment about her absence, you've heard that Miss Newkirk is ill and needs time away from her duties here; she's taxed herself in trying to help you all and is on extended leave.'

'_Right!'_ Harry snapped as he continued to glare at the Potions Master and ignore the tugging of his jumper by Hermione.

'Harry – let's go!' she hissed.

She, Ron and Harry exited the room slowly, hoping they would hear more. But the doors to the Headmaster's office shut firmly behind them and the revolving staircase took them downwards.

'What'll we do know,' Ron snapped angrily.

'There's nothing we can do – except wait…' Harry grumbled. 'Fucking Snape! This is all his fault! He…'

'Consider yourself lucky that Jessica answered our questions, Harry. It's not any of our business really even though we were there and saw it with our own eyes,' Hermione replied carefully. 'Personally I think its one of two things…'

'Go on then – tell us like you always do,' Ron sniffed.

'I think it's one of two things,' Hermione said in a low voice as they headed for their study period in the Great Hall. 'Either Lucius Malfoy is up to something or…'

'Or what?' Harry sighed.

'Or she's had enough him and everything else and just…_snapped_…'

'Jessica is anything but crazy! She was perfectly fine when we left her – she was looking forward to her afternoon off and everything! She told us she was coming back to get ready!' Harry said vehemently. 'She wasn't _peculiar_ or anything!'

'Think about it for a minute,' Hermione said as they stopped in the old gothic courtyard down from the Hall. There was no point in going in since studying was the last thing any of them could do right now. 'Think of who she is, _who she really is_! This is a HUGE adjustment for anyone not born into it – but this; she's not even from _this world_! And she comes here and all this stuff happens to her! And McGonagall's right! I'll bet you anything stuff has happened that we don't even know about! And you can guarantee that none of them are going to tell us!'

'What's the point of having the bloody Prefects patrol for? Flipping pretty-boy Diggory!' Ron spat.

'If you were hosting one of the biggest events in wizarding history – would you want everyone and their mother to know that someone's disappeared from right under the nose of the Greatest Wizard of the Age?' Hermione asked. 'And of all things it happens on the day the Tournament is officially opened? Dumbledore can't call Aurors or even the Senior Guards – people would know something's wrong and Merlin knows he wouldn't want Fudge breathing down his neck. The Prefects will have to keep rumours from starting up in their Houses and they already make patrols just like the Professors do. It's a huge responsibility which is why Dumbledore and McGonagall are so careful about who gets chosen every year.

'Can you imagine if the Daily Prophet found out?' Ron said as he cringed. 'All hell would break loose!'

'And don't forget the official story – Jessica has spent most of her life living amongst Muggles… She's an enigma to people who loathe Muggles and Muggleborns especially and some curious minds would want to know a lot more about her…' Hermione added.

'…And that level of interest would be unprecedented,' Harry said slowly. 'Even with what Dumbledore's done for her, it isn't really enough is it?'

'It wasn't enough to keep Lucius Malfoy away from her,' Hermione said angrily. 'And I'll bet that if he ever gets wind of this, he won't be too happy either.'

'Why? I would've thought he want her to be well out of here after all that business with the governors and that…' said Ron.

'She's intelligent; she's clever and given her family lineage people assume she has to be a powerful witch. From what Cho was saying, he was definitely working and angle of some kind. I'll just bet he's up to something and you can bet its nothing good!'

'It's just too weird; Draco and his mother have been bitching about Jessica since she started working here. Then Lucius Malfoy cosies up to her at the Cup…' Ron said.

'…and the bitching got worse, if anything,' said Harry. 'Then Lucius Malfoy turns up and tries to act like he's not the one with the problem even though he came up here to hit her up about what happened at the Cup; but he talks about how interested in her he is and then warns her to keep her mouth shut.'

'Need I say more?' asked Hermione. 'That's the thing about those Malfoys; they might be clever, but they are incredibly transparent.'

'It'd be no wonder if she snapped,' said Ron. 'Like you said, so much has happened to her and in such a short time… bless her if there's anything else… How much more can one person take?'

'Exactly,' said Hermione. 'Lucius Malfoy has too much to loose right now; I heard Draco talking – and it sounds like he doesn't have a choice but to lie low where Jessica is concerned. All of his accusations were rubbish anyway – Jessica was the last one to ever play favourites or refuse to help anyone. She's spending more time dealing with the Slytherins than anyone else and all some of them do is stab her in the back!'

'Yeah – unlike that bastard who's his Head of House…'

'I wouldn't be too sure about that Harry,' Hermione said carefully. 'That's half the problem with this place – all these rumours and assumptions. I think things are more complicated than they seem…and all of the professors have bent the rules when it suited them. Like McGonagall bending them for you, especially with Quidditch.'

'But it's for the House – that's different!'

'You keep telling yourself that,' Hermione sniffed as the bell sounded for their next class.

'_Whatever _– look, we can't just sit around doing nothing…' said Harry.

'We don't have a choice! And we need to keep a cool head or it's going to be trouble. Professor McGonagall will tell us when they know something; you know she will…'

'It's the waiting that's hard,' said Ron.

'As long as she's alright; that's all I care about…' said Harry.

The Trio headed to their next class, Potions with the Slytherins, dreading the black spectre that was Professor Snape who was clearly in a darkly foul mood.

'Hey – I just thought of something!' Hermione gasped.

'Oh no – not again!' huffed Ron.

'Cool it, Ron,' said Harry. 'You just thought about what?'

'The Clan McKenzie – Cho said that Jessica had not only been welcomed into the clan, she'd been initiated! She saw the tattoos and everything – and so did Lucius Malfoy!'

'What?!' sputtered Ron. 'And when did you plan on telling us that bit?'

'I'm telling you now aren't I? I'll say one thing for Cho, she doesn't run off at the mouth like some people around here…'

'All this stuff with her tattoos – what does that mean?' Harry asked tensely, his heart racing a mile-a-minute.

'It means that Dumbledore will have to leave it up to McGonagall and her family to handle things in the way of the Highlanders – And Lucius Malfoy can't touch her even if he wanted to! I don't think Jessica knows what she's got with those tattoos; she's had a lot to learn in such a short time and she'd mentioned to me that she was spending her Christmas holidays going through more tutoring and especially about her initiation!'

'I've heard stories about them from Dad. They're not just ordinary tattoos – they're magical!' said Ron in a low voice.

'Like the Dark Mark?' Harry sputtered incredulously.

'_Exactly,'_ Hermione said as they neared the door to the Potions Classroom. 'I read all about them and they are _exactly_ like the Dark Mark; McGonagall or whoever should be able to track her with no problem! And they are some kind of protection too… it's all complicated stuff, but let's just say she's in the best possible position she could be in if she's been snatched, all things considered.'

'I just realised something,' said Ron with astonishment. 'Mad-Eye Moody wasn't there! He's the most decorated Auror in the history of the Ministry – surely if anyone could get to the bottom of whether or not Dark Wizards had anything to do with Jessica being missing it would be him? I mean – Dumbledore brought him here because of all this business with that Tournament…'

'You're right,' Hermione answered with a frown. 'I'm sure there's more behind Moody being here than meets the eyes; but it doesn't make any sense why he wasn't there this morning…'

'With everything Moody has at his disposal…' began Ron 'They could have this sorted out fairly quick-ish – don't you think?'

'It's weird…' said Harry. 'Surely they'd trust him?'

'I don't know – the Highland Clans don't like the Ministry. They haven't forgotten the injustices the Scottish had to deal with at the hands of the English like Culloden and that. Jessica's one of them now and let's face it, in America no group is more disenfranchised than Native Americans. TGhey might as well be werewolves the way they are treated and laws stacked against them. The McKenzies would want to handle it their own way I think.'

'I hope you're right,' Harry muttered.

'I just thought of something else,' whispered Ron as they drew near the Potions classroom. _'What if she doesn't want to be found?'_

Harry and Hermione stopped short, but before they could say anything Snape beat them to the door and took 30 points from Gryffindor for being late.

'_Arsehole! God only knows what the hell she ever saw in you!_' Harry growled under his breath.

The Boy Who Lived hated Professor Snape even more than ever for having driven out the only mother-figure that he'd ever really had.

**xxxOOOxxx**

Cedric was finished with his patrolling duties. Unfortunately he was stuck with monitoring his own House, same as the other Prefects. He couldn't get anywhere near Ravenclaw and besides, it was stupid to even think about getting into Jessica's quarters. Still, he couldn't help but to feel that something might have been overlooked. She wouldn't just go without saying _something_, of course she wouldn't!

Something had forced her hand, pushed her to go – if she actually went of her own accord. He knew Lucius Malfoy was a nasty piece of work, but he wouldn't be that stupid to try anything against her. Not now with everything going on. However, he was highly skilled in the art of subtle intimidation as much as any other threatening behaviour. Cedric's father had told him quite a few stories when he was old enough so that he would know to never underestimate just how nasty the Malfoys could be. His father had been phenomenally upset at how his only child had gone against one of the most feared men in their world. But his mother had always said that people who don't stand for something will fall for anything.

Cedric made his way to his room. That was one benefit of being a Prefect, having his own

room for a change. He couldn't face anyone tonight and just wanted to be left alone. The other benefit was the Prefect's bathroom, definitely nicer and more comfortable than the regular student bathrooms that the others had to share.

The Hufflepuff had sat in the bath, hoping somehow that the hot water would sooth his raw nerves. But it was not to be. He was more wound up than ever. He looked out of his window in the direction he knew Jessica's rooms to be. The tears he'd been holding back all day started streaming down his face.

He walked over to his wardrobe and took out some photographs from a small wooden box at the top of it. Two were taken at the Cup – she was beaming with happiness after he picked out the Pashmina and slippers he thought would suit her very well. In one she'd tried on the Pashmina and given him a big smile. Several others were at his parent's: In one photo she was sound asleep in his bed and had rolled onto her stomach, her long hair streaming across his pillows. She had kicked off the blankets and the sheet barely covered her nakedness. In another she was just waking up and ready to swat him with a pillow; she was so incredibly beautiful to him… In another the sheet was off and she was reaching her arms up for him with her legs slightly parted, ready to make love again and moaning at him to put the damn camera down before she ripped his bollocks off… In another, they were in bed together, laughing with the camera held up above them as the flash went; she loved his bollocks too much to turn him into a eunuch she'd said… In two others, the timer had been set as they sat in the backyard kissing passionately. The rest were taken at Hogwarts in the Library and in the grounds, but always with several students from the other Houses (copies of them were going into the end-of-term Yearbook).

There was no evidence of their two times together at Hogwarts – they were especially careful about that. And if anyone ever came across these pictures for some strange reason, all they would see were nature shots from the area he lived in. He'd do anything to protect what he had with Jessica – anything. It shouldn't have taken her running away from him for him to realise it to his magical core.

Cedric clutched the photos to him as he wept. He didn't want to believe that something awful had happened to her the way the Gyffindors seemed to think it might have. He knew what Professor Sprout thought – she believed that Jessica was truly overworked; she practically lived in the Library.

But the Hufflepuff Quidditch Captain blamed himself. Jessica was so scared that he was going to die in the Tournament…and he knew she couldn't face him competing in it. The last time they were together in her rooms they'd been in her bed and fallen asleep. She woke up crying out hysterically for him from a nightmare; a nightmare where the Tournament ended with his death...

But no one could know that.

'Please come back, Jessica!' he rasped. 'I love you and I need you! I can't! I'm sorry I let you down! I won't do it! I promise I won't do it!'

Over and over he pleaded with her, as though she could hear him wherever she was right now.

He finally collapsed on his bed and cried himself to sleep, his memory tormenting him with dreams of the times they had spent together.

**xxxOOOxxx**

Snape sat in front of his fireplace holding a tiny pale blue Babygro sleepsuit in his hands. Tears streamed down his face as he thought of the woman he had never stopped loving and the son they had buried. He'd tried everything for Jessica's sake – and failed. He tried not to blame the Headmaster, but he'd warned him that his plan couldn't work. Severus knew Lucius Malfoy better than anyone, and he knew that someone like Jessica was too much a temptation.

But who wouldn't be tempted by her? She was intelligent, very well-read, undeniably attractive (to him anyway – or maybe she was attractive to him because of what he felt for her?) and strong. Only a strong woman could take on Lucius Malfoy as she had – no different to Narcissa. Lucius couldn't stand weak-minded women. He'd been highly desired as a marriage partner, but Narcissa Black got him in the end. She was cool, calculating, strong, beautiful – and she loved him with a passion that knew no bounds. Jessica was no threat to Narcissa, but Lucius' interest in the Librarian unwittingly made her one. Narcissa had fought to keep other women from sharing the marital bed, not that it was necessary. Lucius may be a lot of things not at all nice, but he was particularly loyal to his wife – outside of Dark Revels.

The Dark Revels were the one exception and with them, for Lucius it was the fine art of seduction. While others were happy to pick someone and wander off to the nearest room of his secret hideaway, he preferred to talk first to his carefully selected Chosen One and ensure that they had a glass of some of his finest wine and specially prepared foods. He was like a spider spinning a deadly web; the male equivalent of the Black Widow going in for the kill. There hadn't been a woman who'd survived the brutal shagging and sado-masochistic predilections he subscribed to – making it impossible for him to be betrayed. Of course, they were Muggles and so were easily expendable. And the good, honorable upstanding citizens he played with had too many secrets of their own to ever betray his – not openly at any rate.

The Potions Master had thought about this and a few other peculiarities over and over since he got wind of what happened with Lucius "chats" with Jessica. He understood some of the interest Lucius had for her, after all, it wasn't that far off from his own when they first met. The advantage that Snape had was that he knew her secrets (or so he thought). God forbid Lucius ever found out anything – especially that Snape had sired a son with her…

Lucius was a man who more often than not was driven by impulse. _"To deny one's impulses is to deny being human, Snape" _he'd lectured the Potions Master so often when Severus stopped participating in the Revels years ago. Lucius' impulses meant that someone was bound to pay a high price, someone who wasn't him.

Snape was more worried than ever for Jessica, the latest object of his impulses, wherever she was. The last person she'd really spoken to was Hagrid; the same Hagrid who was unusually quiet in the Headmaster's office this morning.The Headmaster had dismissed every one except for McGonagall, Hagrid and the Potions Master. Dumbledore demanded to know what the topic of conversation was and Hagrid told him about the conversation they'd had. Suffice it to say that Dumbledore and McGonagall were not entirely pleased. Jessica was so wound up lately – that was simply not a conversation that ought to have happened, not yet anyway.

_Hagrid_.

'I know you Hagrid, I know you too well! You and that ruddy big mouth of yours!' he rasped before breaking down completely.

There was no doubt in his mind that the reason why Jessica had fled was that she couldn't didn't want to be around him. She absolutely did not love him anymore, and it was his own fault.

She must truly despise him to be so determined to not be found.

Snape finally retired to bed, the few hours of tormented sleep bringing nothing but torturous dreams of the son he had been devastated to loose and Jessica, a Jessica who still loved him deeply.

**xxxOOOxxx**

Minerva had gone home to her husband as soon as she left Dumbledore's office that morning. She would stay the night and return the next morning. She and Dumbledore both hoped against hopes that the issue of Jessica's whereabouts would be resolved.

She and Liam had been sat casting spells over a stone bowl filled with water for several hours – and nothing had happened. Not so much as a ripple.

'I never thought she would…' the Deputy Headmistress muttered.

'We'll find a way to find her – somehow,' Liam said unconvincingly. 'But at least you have something to tell him…'

He threw some powder into their fireplace and called for Dumbledore.

'Have you found her? Where is she? Is she alright?' the Headmaster asked in strained tones.

McGonagall looked at her husband and then shook her head 'no'.

'Which is it then?' Dumbledore asked shakily as he sat down across from them.

'She's not even in the country Albus.'

'She… what?'

'We have scryed for several hours. I've tried every trick in the book and some things I'm ashamed to say I even know how to do,' Liam sniffed. 'But there was no sign of the lass – anywhere in the British Isles. Either she doesn't want to be found or someone doesn't want ye to find her!'

'No,' Dumbledore hissed darkly. 'No, No, No!'

'Look!' Liam said as he rolled up his shirt sleeve and stroked the tattoo on his left bicep. Nothing happened. 'The Mark doesn't even shimmer as it ought – if we had even a bit of that…!'

'But we don't!' McGonagall cried. 'That poor girl is out there somewhere and Merlin help us if she needs us!'

'Did ye search the rooms high and low?' Liam asked as he held a pendulum of clear quartz from a silver and amethyst chain.

'I… I believe we did…' Minerva said unconvincingly.

'The lass – she wasna taken nor was she tricked away! She went of her own accord and she's left ye something. Ye were all so distraught ye missed it! Ye need to look properly…'

Dumbledore didn't wait for the rest of the answer. The aged wizard leapt into the fire and Liam placed a restraining hand on Minerva's arm to make her stay put.

'He's made the mess, let him open his eyes,' he said firmly.

Twenty minutes passed before Dumbledore returned, clutching a small piece of parchment in his hands.

'She's left us,' he whispered in a choked voice. 'And she said she's never coming back,'

McGonagall took a sip of her cold tea and managed to find her voice.

'Where did you find it?'

'It was tucked away on her mantelpiece in the sitting room, almost behind some photographs.'

'And did she say why?'

'No…'

'Let me have it,' Liam said quietly.

The Headmaster handed the note over and McGonagall's husband held it above the bowl of water. He waved his hand across it and the water began to shimmer and bubble.

'Holy Merlin!' Minerva rasped as Jessica's face came into view.

She was distraught, so distraught wherever she was.

'T'is her heart that ails her more than anything. Ye've no idea the pressure she's been under because of it…'

'Her heart… physically or romantically?' Minerva asked gravely.

'Romantic to be sure, aye? But it is more than that – much more than that. T'is not an easy thing to find your soulmate – and be forced to lose them as ye well know my dear.'

'Damn that Severus Snape!' Minerva cried. 'Him – a soul connection! Why in God's name…!'

Liam put up a hand to silence his wife and then stayed silent himself for the moment. He could see something they couldn't. And he knew well enough to keep quiet. Too much depended on it.

'Will ye let me resolve this?' he asked Dumbledore.

'I can hardly interfere,' the Headmaster said resignedly. 'It seems everything I try to do for Jessica turns out incredibly wrong.'

'Aye – that it does. But I need your sacred promise on one thing.'

'You have it,' Dumbledore said firmly.

'Ye've no idea what I mean to ask ye.'

The Headmaster nodded and let out a breath he didn't know he was holding.

'She has a path to follow, and this is part of it. When she returns to ye – and she will, mind – when she returns to ye – do not interfere with her heart again. Not ye or anyone else close to ye. Ye only cause her more pain when ye do and ye bring about things that ought not to happen!'

'But Severus…' Dumbledore said slowly.

'I canna say more than I already have and I willna. I do it fer her sake and the one who loves her truly.'

'Yes Severus loves her!' Dumbledore rasped. 'He's never stopped!'

'He's got a funny way of showing it!'

'None of us should interfere!' Dumbledore said. 'Not even you!'

'I'm not interfering except to try and bring her home, bring her back here where she can have some peace. She'll have her own place; here amongst her family,' Liam replied. 'But listen to me – I know that she believes in what she thinks must happen because of those books… and all I can say is she does herself a disservice holding on to those beliefs.'

'Yes, well… she's not even in them for a start,' McGonagall said thoughtfully. 'But I do wonder at all she knows… To carry around such a burden; I would not wish to have that cursed gift for all the gold in Gringotts.'

'The fact that she's not in them and the fact that things are happening that she's no foreknowledge of – these things are a testament that ye play with destiny too much, Dumbledore. If ye hadna sent her on the wild goose chase to the Cup – things would be very different indeed. Three people's hearts wouldna be so broken. There's one that needs her more than Snape ever will.'

'_That he does indeed,'_ Dumbledore murmured as he thought of the only other man Jessica had been involved with besides the Potions Master. It seemed even she was wrong about what was in store for Remus Lupin in the next couple of years.

'So – I have your word ye willna interfere with her or the one who truly loves her?' Liam asked.

'You do,' Dumbledore said as he nodded.

He passed his hand over the bowl and the water turned a fiery red with gold flecks.

'It's done,' said Liam.

'Well – this is fine end to a trying couple of days,' Dumbledore said brightly.

'It will be mighty fine when the lass is home. It's best to give her some time on her own and then let Minerva and I tend to her. She needs this break to come to terms with a few things – and to find her strength and resolve again.'

'And Lucius Malfoy…' Dumbledore said hesitantly.

'Oh – he won't be a problem for some time yet…' McGonagall said irritably.

'I suppose that's something…'

'The lass will need to be trained up soundly. She'll need everything we can give her so that she can handle herself with what's to come. We all need a bit more, but her especially.'

Dumbledore held out a hand and Liam shook it.

'I know I didn't do as much as I probably should have…' the Headmaster said. 'I was wrong...'

'Mmm well hindsight is twenty-twenty, eh Dumbledore?' Liam said warily. 'It's all water under the bridge now.'

The Headmaster took his leave, but looking a lot better than when he'd first stepped into their workroom.

Minerva looked at her husband and shook her head after sealing the fireplace.

'He's totally got the wrong idea and I'm completely in the dark – sort of,' she said trying to restrain a smirk.

'For the moment ye must be about certain things only.'

They straightened up the room and cleared away the things they'd been using. Liam took the note and put it away for safekeeping, knowing it would be useful again.

'Ye know where she is, don't ye,' Minerva proposed, lapsing into her native accent. 'Did ye see the canals and the buildings with big windows?'

'Aye – ye've a good eye woman. And ye are the model of discretion,' her husband answered as they went upstairs and prepared for bed.

'She picked a mighty fine place to run off to. I never would have guessed in a million years to even think of her going there,' the Deputy Headmistress said as she crawled into bed after a long hot shower.

'Aye, that she did. She's got a mighty fine brain – no one will think of looking there. We'll have ourselves a fine time. Don't ye worry, the lass will be bursting to see us.'

'And Albus?'

'Will be very angry when the truth is laid bare before him. But he did vow to not interfere and it was sealed. He will have to keep his own counsel, but he doesna have to like it.'

'Merlin's Beard… God help us all…'

'Especially _Him_,' Liam said cryptically as he thought of the face that had been revealed to him in the shimmering bubbling waters.


	31. The Goblet of Fire

**Plot, new characters, new magical terms and abilities etc. are my intellectual property. If you want to borrow then please kindly ask. JK Rowling's characters and Wizarding Universe are all uniquely hers.**

**Summary: AU: What if everything we ever read in JK Rowling's books was real – including the people characterised? What would you do if you found yourself caught up in that reality knowing what was to come? SSnape, CDiggory, OFC**

**_Authors Note:_ _It has been mentioned in the story but now I am noting it here. I am a fan of Diana Gabaldon's 'Outlander'/'Cross Stitch' series and definitely was influenced by that in writing this story – i.e. the Standing Stones and traveling through time. But I also love Philip Pullman's 'His Dark Materials' series and the tv programme 'Sliders' and the alternate universes alongside ours idea comes from there no doubt._**

**Fantasy/Drama**

**This story is rated R/M.**

**ENIGMA**

**Chapter 031: The Goblet of Fire**

The Library Club had ground to a halt and it only served to increase the questions about Miss Newkirk's illness.

'I head she's quarantined in St. Mungo's – lethal strand of Skrewt flu,' Cedric overheard Terry Boot whisper to a few Ravenclaws including Cho Chang and Marietta Edgecombe as they huddled around a desk trying to finish off the latest salvo of assignments handed down by Snape. 'What a bugger that is eh? _It could be months or years even before she recovers from that…_'

'Hmmph you wish,' Marietta snarked. 'I heard she picked up something nasty…'

Marietta made remarks that were so vile that even her fellow students who weren't particular fans of their former librarian protested. But none protested so vociferously as Cedric. He barged over to their table and made it known in no uncertain terms that he wouldn't have dreamed in a million years that anyone could say something so hateful and untrue.

'Do you have any idea how damaging that is?' he demanded.

The others at least backed him up, Terry especially. Cho merely looked uncomfortable and said that she was sure Marietta didn't mean it the way it sounded.

'Why do you always defend her especially when she is dead wrong?' Cedric snapped at the Ravenclaw Seeker. 'If she can talk like that about Miss Newkirk, she'll say the same things about you if you cross her or when she gets tired of using you!'

'Please – you're as pathetic as the rest of them; mooning over that…' Marietta used some nasty terms to describe their former Librarian and it became an all-out war of words.

Terry didn't hold back as he used equally eye-watering language to describe Marietta.

'With a friend like her you don't need any enemies!' he hissed at Cho. 'And why don't you get some balls with her like you did with the Ministry and that!'

'You what?' Marietta shrieked as she looked at Cho with an expression that went from surprise to horror to anger. 'You defended that slag?'

'What's she ever done except try to help you!' Cedric said angrily. He knew that Cho had only done it to impress him, and she put on a good show of supposedly liking Jessica so bloody much for the same reason – she was smart enough to keep quiet right now. 'You've had it in for her since she got here! Why don't you just shut up and leave her alone!'

'I don't have to put up with this. I don't give a damn if you are a Prefect. You can't tell me to…'

'But I can!' Snape said darkly as he stepped from behind a floor-to ceiling bookcase where he'd been standing. 'That will be thirty points from your House for disturbing my peace. My office. Tonight at eight. And other ten for each of you for your equally disruptive behaviour; that includes you too Diggory – don't believe for a moment that being a Prefect means that you are above reproach!'

'_You bastard!'_ Cedric thought to himself before storming off with the others following in his wake. _'You won't even defend her! What the hell did she ever see in you to go out with you and have your baby too! You're the reason why she's gone – I know you are!'_

If anyone had been looking, the Potions Master's face was a picture as he eyeballed the retreating back of the Hufflepuff he'd always had an intensely strong dislike for.

**xxxOOOxxx**

Snape was livid, filled with a rage that permeated every cell in his body. He'd picked up some things he did not want to believe when peering inside the Hufflepuff pretty boy's mind. Quite a few of the boys had crushes on Jessica; that much he knew. She wasn't the first staff member to have suffered with it – Sinistra certainly had her fair share as well two of the teaching assistants in the Charms Department. Fortunately that was not a problem he would ever have to endure.

Diggory – he was extremely popular; too damn popular truth be told. Though Snape would never admit it even if he was tortured for confirmation; the Hufflepuff wasn't as dunderheaded as many of his Housemates were. However, Diggory was mediocre student in his estimation. The boy's brains were in his biceps to be sure. _But his memories_ – no, those could not be memories. It wasn't unheard of to tap into the unconscious and be confused by nothing more than fantasy. He laughed derisively as he stalked to and fro in his office.

'_As if she would ever bother with the likes of him!'_ he snarled out loud.

But god almighty if that boy's delusions hadn't some of the most realistic he'd ever come across since he'd master the fine art of Legilimency. Even as he closed his eyes, he could see could see Jessica through Diggory's mind's eye – _he could see the woman he loved as though the snot-nosed Hufflepuff had really fucked her_. And Merlin how she liked it – _she liked it!_

Snape picked up a jar and it flew through his open door, causing Marietta Edgecombe to shriek and go tearing back to Ravenclaw Tower as it exploded over her head. Something about the handsome young man got under his skin even more than the situation with Potter did. Why Jessica always insisted on cozying up to these brats was beyond his understanding.

Diggory had done something though, something wholly unexpected. He'd felt Snape's presence in his mind and immediately shut down. The Potions Master was even more unsettled but thank Merlin there were only a few more days of school before the Mid-Term Break. He was on the edge – and it wouldn't take much to push him over where Diggory was concerned.

Diggory would be on his knees grateful to see the back of him by the time the Potions Master was through with him.

**xxxOOOxxx**

Students had been submitting their names for a while for the chance to be Champion of their school. Cedric had watched silently as Viktor Krum, escorted by Krakaroff his Headmaster into the room housing the Goblet, put a folded piece of parchment with his name on it into the wooden cup of flames. Professor Dumbledore had cast an age line around the enchanted object so that no under-aged wizards or witches could cheat and put themselves forward. A number had tried without success, Fred and George Weasley amongst their number.

But Cedric kept the vow he'd made to Jessica, wherever she was. He didn't submit his name and side-stepped any questions from his Housemates about it.

Sprout was so sure he could be chosen.

**xxxOOOxxx**

The time had finally come and everyone was gathered in the Great Hall to witness The Choosing of the Champions. Professor Flitwick had been Hogwarts Champion almost two hundred years ago and was hoping that someone from his house might be chosen. He didn't have the heart to tell Cho and Marietta that neither of them had a snowball's chance in hell of being picked. Honour wasn't a particular virtue of Marietta and Cho lacked a backbone in situations that clearly called for a strong one. The rest of the Heads of House had heard names of students being bandied about who supposedly put themselves forward or had strongly considered it. Now they would know for certain whom the Goblet deemed worthy.

Dumbledore raised his hands and the torches on the walls went low. The brightest light in the room came from the Goblet.

Dumbledore in front of Kakaroff and Professors McGonagall and Snape.

_The Goblet began to crackle and hiss._

_But nothing happened._

Dumbledore frowned and stepped closer.

_Again the Globlet crackled and hissed – and again nothing happened._

Anxious murmurs began to spread around the room. The torches began to return to their full brightness as the flames in the Goblet extinguished themselves. The high ornate protecting casing that housed the impartial judge reappeared and reassembled itself, sheathing the Goblet completely.

'_What the devil is going on Dumbledore!'_ Kakaroff spat violently.

'_What is the meaning of this!'_ bellowed Madame Maxime, the Headmistress of Beauxbatons.

'_I can't believe it,'_ the Headmaster mumbled disbelievingly.

'Ye'd better believe it,' Liam said tightly as he emerged from his place with the other school governors. 'What do ye intend to do?'

'The only thing I can do,' came a grave reply.

Dumbledore held up his hands and bid everyone to return to their places.

'_It would seem the Goblet could not find the appropriate Champion or Champions. The decision has been made and is binding. The TriWizard tournament is over!'_ he said darkly.

The scene was nothing less than pandemonium and outrage as he swept from the room with the governors, staff and the foreign school heads in tow along with several officials from the Ministry of Magic, Minister Fudge, Barty Crouch Senior and Ludo Bagman amongst them. Though this result was always a possibility, it had never happened before and thus the occurrence was unprecedented. It was nigh on improbable in most people's minds, but there was no mistake.

Either the quality of contenders for one of the schools or perhaps all of them wasn't good enough or the circumstances just weren't right to be holding the Tournament. There were no easy answers to this most peculiar and disturbing of dilemmas. And there was nothing to be done about it.

**xxxOOOxxx**

Jessica stirred and compulsively covered her eyes with an arm as sounds of the early morning greeted her. She glanced at her alarm clock and was relieved that she still had another half hour before she absolutely had to be out of bed.

She'd been in Venice for quite a while now, just how long she really couldn't be sure since even here there was no real marking of time. In her head she knew that it had to have been just over three months according to timekeeping in her world, but this world was vastly different and there was nothing to give her any real clue about the exact date. It seemed that at the end a seven-day cycle of sunrises and sunsets or sometimes double that, people referred to the "new day". Jessica still hadn't stopped counting and it only served to frustrate and confuse her even more.

Her first few "days" were spent in floods of tears. It occurred to her that Cedric was now Hogwarts Champion for the TriWizard Tournament and would be attending the Yule Ball, a long-standing tradition. With her out of the way, he was free – free to pursue Cho Chang and take her to the Ball as the books dictated he would do. The mere thought of him brought tears to Jessica's eyes even after all this time. The thought of him with Cho, the idea of being with the Ravenclaw Seeker as he'd been with her and especially intimately – well, it was more than she could take.

The two weeks or so were hell as she adjusted to her new home in the Cannaregio district of the city and to Cedric being completely gone from her life. Trying to find a place to live could be traumatic no matter where one lived, but unlike the Venice of her world this Venice was fairly uncomplicated. There were none of the laws that often left tenants in a rather precarious position subject to the whims of their landlords. Cannaregio was the humble side of Venice that few tourists ever discovered. Washing was still hung outside and only the locals could be found in its restaurants and bars. The former Librarian decided to rent first and then would look at buying a place once she completed the apprenticeship she'd managed to secure. In this world she could afford it. She needed to get herself together and forget about the young man she'd left behind at Hogwarts. What must he think of her now? But despite what she kept trying to convince herself of, the idea that Cedric Diggory could think horribly of her filled Jessica with a sadness and pain that she couldn't understand or bear.

**xxxOOOxxx**

Jessica had long harbored a dream to become a Master of the ancient and noble Venetian arts of mask making and Murano glass crafts. People didn't exactly queue up for such labor-intensive work and there were imitators to be found in other countries. She wanted the real thing and to be respected for the hard work she would have to put in. In this world as in her own, the arts were mostly handed down from generation to generation in the old families; many of the crafts families where also amongst Venice's most prominent. It seemed no matter where she went, Jessica couldn't escape social lines being drawn. Jessica realised that she had a lot working against her as an outsider and especially as a non-white outsider, but she'd never been the sort to let the practical realities get in the way of pursuing her dreams.

She had legal British identity papers; as an EU citizen she could move around as she pleased. The process wasn't nearly as trying as it would have been in her world, no thanks to politics. But many outsiders had some to Venice to settle and make their mark in Venetian society. Some had grand aims while others wanted some more practical. The former Librarian wasn't looking for fame or fortune, she just wanted a decent life doing something she loved. She wouldn't even let the fact that she didn't speak much Italian stop her.

And so she awoke on the first day of a trial towards becoming a proper Apprentice focusing on the task at hand. She'd had numerous doors slammed in her face all over the city, but had refused to give up. It was a goal worth pursuing and it gave her life a renewed sense of purpose.

**xxxOOOxxx**

The former Librarian settled into her routine. She woke every morning at seven and by eight-thirty was at her place in the workshop of Ca'Macana, one of the oldest crafts houses in the city and which was also located in Cannaregio, but at the opposite end of the island from her flat. She would take a gondola from door-to-door. But the lines were drawn even within the ranks Gondoliers – not one of them was a woman and wouldn't be for the foreseeable future as far as she could tell. At least in her world, one woman had finally made it into the venerated association after failing three times – and she was of Algerian extraction to boot.

"_If we don't change and move with the times, our arts will die out. The art of making these masterpieces is hard work and there is no glamour except to wear them,"_ wizened patriarch Giuseppe Ormessini had told her during their second lunch together after she'd been hired. All but one of his sons had turned their interests to other professions. Only a middle son, Elio, shared his father's love of the family business. It was a small house with just a few artisans. They were used to people coming in bursting with excitement and ideas only to disappear and usually after the week or so. Everyone had to pass the trial, and even his own son had been no exception to that.

Giuseppe had been quite intrigued by the quiet young lady with just a hint of sadness in her countenance. She offered to complete her trial without pay, she was that serious. The old man prided himself on looking after his partners; anyone who became an Apprentice would be considered a partner in the business. They would start off with a small share with the potential to earn more if they remained. A small few of the partners had opened workshops elsewhere in Italy and in Europe, but always under the Ca'Macana name. They still returned for the occasional Partner's meeting and to refine their craft in the bosom of the Master Artisan. Their trade was largely masks and costumes, but they specialised in glass crafts as well. Their large glass workshop was on the island of Murano, which could be seen from the workshop and where the Venetian glassware industry had been long based. Ca'Macana offered the opportunity to work on Murano jewelry in the officina primaria in Cannaregio in addition to the masks.

The young lady had made quite an impression when she asked him directly if her being Native American would be a problem for any of the other Partners. He'd replied simply that he would not have taken the time to meet with her if there was any possibility that even one person on his team would protest against it. _"We only care about your dedication and willingness to learn_," he'd said forthrightly.

By the end of her third week (as it was) with them, the artisans recognised that Jessica had "it" – that unmistakable something that marks a true Master and she was offered the Apprenticeship if she was still interested. She didn't "watch the clock" and that made as much an impression as her almost encyclopedic knowledge of Venice, its history and crafts did. For Jessica, she finally discovered what she was meant to be doing.

**xxxOOOxxx**

There was one other woman in to the group of nine at her workshop. Like Jessica, Marta Friedmann wasn't Venetian or even Italian. However, she was married to one of the Senior Artisans and that did help cement her position in the Workshop with the others. The situation could have easily been fraught with tension if Marta had felt threatened by Jessica. But fortunately, unlike many of their sex in business, the older woman saw Jessica as an ally and a friend in the testosterone-driven environment that was their workplace. They got on well and found the exchange of ideas mutually beneficial and stimulating. They even spent time together outside of work, with Marta showing Jessica her favourite places in Venice and The Veneto and introducing her around. The older woman quite liked Jessica's company, and was happy to see that the sadness was perhaps beginning to lift as Jessica came out of her shell.

The Library at Hogwarts was slowly becoming a memory as Jessica dove her new life. She was starting to pick up Italian – not a word of English was spoken in the Workshop. The only concessions made were during lunchtime and only after she'd secured the Apprenticeship. She was finally accepted and even began to socialise with her colleagues. There were nice, leisurely dinners and social events around Venice. Ca'Macana took part in some of the Gondola Regattas which pitched them against their competitors. Jessica didn't hide herself away anymore; she came out in support of her colleagues and had even taken part in one event with Elio when ac colleagueinjured his shoulder. The House's reputation was firmly intact as they took home yet another trophy as a reward for a race well-run. Jessica was now well-and-truly one of them.

Everyone at Ca'Macana agreed: Giuseppe Ormessini still had a fine nose for picking his partners.

**xxxOOOxxx**

Everyone was grateful that they had a nice long break ahead. The controversy had been relentless and some in the magical press had blamed the Tournament result on the work of 'Dark Wizards or Witches unknown' even though it was supposed to be nigh on impossible to hoodwink the Goblet. But there it was.

The Tri-Wizard Tournament was not meant to be.

Cedric felt nothing less than sheer relief and his conscious was clear. As far as he was concerned what was done, was done. Everyone just needed to get over it and get back to their normal lives. If he'd been religious like Muggles tended to be, he would have been in a church giving thanks.

He'd been doing a lot of thinking and decided that he needed to do what was right for himself and not just surrender himself to the random dictates of fate. The Hufflepuff was moving out of the family home, a situation that upset his parents. Many in his year had been on their own since they were 17, the age when they legally gained adult status in their world. His father was particularly upset, but his mother at least tried to understand. His parents wouldn't hear of him spending his savings to rent a room somewhere and like a number of peers in his year, Cedric found himself the owner of a small starter house. At least he wouldn't have to worry about having a roof over his head, his mother reasoned, but he was always welcome to come back home – there was no shame in it.

The first two days of his break Cedric moved what little he had into his house in a hamlet outside the Highland city of Inverness. It wasn't much, but it would do. Besides he could always sell it later. He had more important things to think about.

He needed to find Jessica and now that the drama about that damn Tournament was over, he was able to focus – and was fairly certain where she had gone. He packed a large traveler's rucksack on his third day in his new home and set off with the confidence that he would find her.


	32. If

**Plot, new characters, new magical terms and abilities etc. are my intellectual property. If you want to borrow then please kindly ask. JK Rowling's characters and Wizarding Universe are all uniquely hers.**

**Summary: AU: What if everything we ever read in JK Rowling's books was real – including the people characterised? What would you do if you found yourself caught up in that reality knowing what was to come? SSnape, CDiggory, OFC**

**_Authors Note:_ _It has been mentioned in the story but now I am noting it here. I am a fan of Diana Gabaldon's 'Outlander'/'Cross Stitch' series and definitely was influenced by that in writing this story – i.e. the Standing Stones and traveling through time. But I also love Philip Pullman's 'His Dark Materials' series and the tv programme 'Sliders' and the alternate universes alongside ours idea comes from there no doubt._**

**Fantasy/Drama**

**This story is rated R/M.**

**ENIGMA**

**Chapter 032: If**

'Albus,' Liam said heatedly. 'Ye know that this is not the end of it, surely! As sure as I am standing here this situation with the Tournament; it's not done though it may appear to be! Whatever Dark Magic is at work here – it isn't going to last!'

'It would have taken an exceptionally powerful wizard to Confunded the Goblet!' Dumbledore said carefully.

'And there **_are _**some who could have done it!' Minerva snapped. 'We all know that!'

'Jessica was so sure – she was SO SURE!' the Headmaster hissed.

'Clearly she was mistaken;' Snape said idly. 'Even you have said that we could not live our lives based on what we thought might happen on the basis of her clearly dubious testimony.'

'Oh get over yerself, man! _Ye know damn well that she was right every step of the way – until now,_' Liam said. 'Dark Magic has nothing to with what's going right now! Something should have happened that didn't – or something happened that shouldn't have!'

'_You don't know that McKenzie!'_ Snape snarled. _'You are just as much in the dark as the rest of us are!'_

'If it serves yer purposes to believe that, then so be it! Destiny is destiny, no matter what twists of fate happen along the way. **_But mark my words,_** **_things may well right themselves in the end – just expect the unexpected!_**

'Spoken like someone who perhaps knows more than should be possible; as though they themselves had been up to something!'

'I'm here because I can do what ye can't; I can see what ye can't. I don't claim to know it all – that would be foolish. But I do know yer setting yerself up for a fall if ye don't take heed. Ye know what we're up against, Snape. Ye know it even more than the Headmaster here, so just cut the crap!'

'Severus, you know that we have said that she shouldn't have set such great store in what she knows from her books,' Minerva said sharply. 'But the fact remains that there is _something_ coming; even the centaurs can sense it and are concerned! It's an ill wind that blows no good and it's quite unsettling!'

'Firenze came to me himself! Something wasn't right and that's why the Goblet **_refused _**to choose,' Liam said forcefully.

'**_Refused_**… the Goblet refused to choose?!' Dumbledore said hoarsely. 'It**_ is_** as grave as I thought!

'And what is **_your_** bright idea about how we rectify this oh-so grave injustice since you seem to know so much about it?' Snape snarled at the Highlander.

'We don't do anything! We don't interfere and we let nature take its course from here on out!'

Snape, Minerva and Liam turned to Dumbledore.

The aged wizard tapped his fingers absent-mindedly on his desk as he stared at a stone orb that floated about the room.

'_Well?'_ Minerva asked, breaking the tension-filled silence.

'Liam is right,' he said gravely. 'The situation will correct itself and in ways we are just not meant to know. We must carry on as usual and take things as they come.'

'What about Moody?'

'We leave him be – as we ought to do.'

'Aye – ye must indeed,' Liam said as he stared at Snape.

'Is there a _problem_, McKenzie?' the Potions Master hissed.

'Yes, there is… a very big problem indeed,' the Highlander replied as took his leave.

'Do you not think you should impart this ancient wisdom of yours?'

'No – I don't actually,' Liam said half-turning. 'Too many cooks spoil the broth – I'm sure you understand that all too well…'

'Well – I think that's that gentlemen,' Minerva sighed. 'Now if you'll excuse me – I'm off to enjoy my break!'

The Deputy Headmistress left with her husband and Snape stood glaring resentfully as they closed the door to Dumbledore's office behind them.

'Do you really believe you can trust him, Headmaster?'

'_I trust him as much as I trust you, Severus,'_ Dumbledore replied as he raised his eyebrows and gave his Potions Master a look over his half-moon glasses.

'What about Jessica?'

'I still have faith in her.'

'She was wrong!'

'No actually; I don't believe she was.'

'And I suppose you still don't see fit to inform me of the finer details.'

'It would do you as much good as it has Jessica and myself. Let it be Severus; we don't really have any choice and we can see what our interference has wrought!'

'_But…'_

'Let her find her own way back to you, if it's meant to be…' Dumbledore said quietly as he rose. 'I rather think you have matters to be getting on with which concern you more than at the moment.'

'It grows darker,' Snape said tightly as he impulsively grabbed at his left forearm.

'That at least has not changed. And _that_ is what must concern us. I advise you to enjoy what time you have left to yourself. Dark days are ahead, Severus. And all things considered, Jessica is better off for the moment wherever it is that she has removed herself to.'

**xxxOOOxxx**

'Ahhh – you are still sad I think,' Giuseppe observed as he stood next to Jessica.

He and his wife were hosting a dinner party and had included all the staff at Ca'Macana. There was a series of entertainments including music in the Ormessini palazzo which was located on one of the most prestigious canals in the whole of the city. Jessica had hidden herself away in a nook by one of the large windows just outside the ornate ballroom where people were dancing. Giuseppe had been blessed with sons; but like many men with too many sons, he had longed for a daughter. Jessica was becoming the closest thing he would ever have to one. Slowly she'd begun opening up to him. Not a lot, but just enough to have changed their relationship profoundly.

'A part of me always will be,' Jessica replied somberly.

Giuseppe took a seat next her.

'You call tell me if you wish, _Mia Cara_; I won't judge…'

'No, I know you won't and I'm grateful for it,' Jessica said with a faint smile that was more a grimace.

She sighed and looked down at the mask in her hands.

'This is a dream come true for me,' she said quietly. 'But…'

'But there is someone you left behind wherever it is that you came to us from?'

'Yes,' the former librarian replied softly as her eyes began to well up with tears.

'I see. I did think as much.'

'He's a lot younger than me... and…'

Giuseppe took one of her hands in his as tears began streaming down her face. His wife Ines walked over and sat on the other side of her. She put a motherly arm put around Jessica's back and encouraged her to let it all out.

'I used to work at a school; secondary through college levels. I was a librarian there and if I'm honest it's not what I wanted to be doing with my life. After a couple of false starts, I finally found someone who loved me completely, who respected me – someone I trusted completely because he never lied to me or hurt me. He was everything to me even though we weren't able to be together the way we wanted to.'

Jessica faltered and rubbed her eyebrows in frustration. The Ormessinis continued to listen as one of their favourite partners tried to collect herself to no avail.

'He's nineteen – and a student in his last year. He wasn't the reason why I left, not entirely. But he is the main reason why I won't go back.'

'_I can't go back and watch him be killed,_' she thought to herself.

'I loved him, as much anyone can love someone else and even more than that. And I still do. I know that you must think that I'm…_horrible_…but I left because I wanted to do the right thing by him and to someone else who made the mistake of getting involved with me. He was a teacher there and at least my age. With Cedric, this student, this was the first time in my life I've ever been in a relationship like that. And I don't regret anything that happened between, maybe I should but I don't…'

'_We can't help who we love, mia cara,'_ Ines said quietly. 'And most of us have done things that other people might take issue with. I can't judge you – whatever you do is between you and your maker; but in your position I can't say that I wouldn't have done the same.'

'Some might say that I abused my positiongetting involved with him. We were intimate – but it didn't start at school. It happened during the summer holidays when we were thrown together in the same place, same time. He, um, he was there for me in a way that… It doesn't matter. We had said we would cool things down once were back at school; but we were together twice in the last term…once because I begged him to, I needed him so much that day and I'd stayed away – but he found me…and I couldn't let go…'

'You still exercised restraint, a lot more restraint than I would have certainly,' Giuseppe said firmly. 'I would not let anything or anyone keep me from the one I love who loves me truly.'

'The one you love wasn't a student…'

'No, but I was poor and I am not from the sort of family that you might call honourable,' Ines said thoughtfully. 'You are a throwback to a byegone era I must say! No one cares about that kind of age difference or how we meet our lovers – such outrageous pretentiousness! The only thing they care about are bloodlines, money and connections.'

'God Almighty!' Jessica sniffed. 'I can't get away from it no matter where I go!'

'When I fell for my Ines – _holy mother of God_ _the scandal_!' said Giuseppe. 'You know that many in the old families only believe in association within their ranks. The doors that were closed to you by the other Houses here… It's not because of your race as such. If your family had settled in Venice at least two generations ago and you had been born here there would be no hesitation about taking you on. No one bats an eyelash at mixed marriages or May-December relationships; it's the sort of stuff you only find in fluffy novels these days. Marriage and partnerships boil down to strategic business alliances. Most Houses wouldn't want their Artisans to leave Venice – and yet I actively support it if that's what anyone in our little family wants to do. Our arts survive and flourish because we bring it to those who are not in our cocooned milieu. I know that even though much in our society has progressed, there are still plenty of closed minds. I don't let that bother me or stop me from being true to what I feel and believe!'

'Where I'm from, _back home_, people go to jail for what I've done!' Jessica said as she burst into a fresh round of tears.

'You are not _"back home"_ – and it sounds as though you are altogether better for it if the people are so backward!' Ines sniffed. 'Your role – Holy Mary Mother of God, you were just a librarian handing out books and giving advice on how to write properly!'

'Cedric didn't even need the help beyond that actually. He's a good student and we both knew the real reason why we spent as much time together as we did. Once we were together, he only came to me when he absolutely had to – and it was hard, very hard for the both of us; but him especially I think. He'd witnessed some… **_things_**… between me and my former boyfriend. And he knew deeply personal things that I shared with him once he opened up to me. Cedric wanted to take care of me, look after me. He wanted me to be happy and to have a good life. That's what made him happy – thinking of me and how he could make things better for me. If I was another type of person I could used that for all it was worth, but I didn't. He can have anyone he wants, he's that popular. He has to beat girls and women off of him with a stick. I liked him, a lot, but I never went down roads a lot of them do to get his attention. I never sought him out deliberately and I never tried to get him to come to me… No one will give a damn about that.'

'…and yet of all the people he could have chosen, he chose you,' Ines said as she ran a hand through Jessica's hair in a comforting gesture. 'You have no idea how beautiful you are, inside and out… why wouldn't he choose you? If other people have a problem with you – it's just down to old-fashioned jealousy. If anything is done, it will be out of spite. It would be the same to a degree no matter who he chose. But you, not being one of the girls, it will really get under their skin to know that you secured his affections.'

'Poor Elio,' Giuseppe sighed before smiling.

'_Elio?'_

'Ah – no worries there my dear; he's gay (I think you already figured that out!), but I've heard him say that if you even looked his way once he might convert – just for the one night mind!'

Jessica roared with laughter through her tears along with Elio's parents.

'That crazy, wonderful son of yours. He's been a good friend to me; he and Marta both have been great actually…'

'You are like the sister he never had but really needed. He needed a girl to talk to about certain things growing up – his Mamma doesn't count! And Marta, well she's lovely but just too provincial. All of Elio's girlfriends have moved away or they have families of their own and don't have much time for him. He'll miss you if you ever leave – but for you, I think finally he would perhaps try his feet away from the familiarity of home. He sees how you've traveled the world and haven't been afraid to take risks. It took a lot to approach me as you did, especially after having so many doors slammed in your face. He is really inspired by your strength and tenacity.'

'He's got a great life – I can't imagine anyone growing up here wanting to leave it.'

'Depends on what your life is like,' said Ines. 'Venice is like anywhere else: if life is good then you adore it and perhaps can't see yourself settling anywhere else. If life is hard, then you want to break free – find something good. It hasn't been easy for Elio, but he accepts that he can't change who he is for the sake of other people. Even here, being gay isn't easy. There are people who can be very close-minded and judgmental. I think they are perhaps, afraid…'

'Up their own arses more like,' Jessica grumbled. 'But no matter where he goes; there will be people who can accept him as he is and people who won't. It's difficult having to deal with moral and legal judgments about something that he has no control over. It's different with me because the legal argument says that Cedric is an adult but the moral argument perhaps says that I have the greater responsibility and should keep away even though our relationship is mutually-consensual.'

'…and some (where you are from) would probably argue that he's not in a position to know his own mind because you were in a position of authority…over someone you saw very little in the course of your everyday existence as the librarian at this school… God help us!'

'I was only a Librarian, not a teacher giving him grades or the head of his section who was meant to look after him. Maybe I'm wrong for seeing like that but I do. He'd come by and see me under some pretense and we'd loose all track of time just talking… He joined the club I set up – a sort of tutorial club, but he wasn't the only one who didn't need to be there – and he wasn't there all the time, not like some of them! Cedric isn't some brainless, testosterone-driven idiot. Some nineteen year olds are childish, I know that – but some aren't and he's definitely not. He wants all the things I was ready for and had at his age. I was already out of the house and working when I was sixteen. My first two boyfriends were a bit older than me and the relationships just were what they were because those were the people I was around. In the first instance, it didn't work out between us because I wanted more than he was willing to give me. In the second instance – the man I was living with and preparing to spend what I thought would be the rest of my life with died. Maybe we would have gone the distance, maybe not…'

But some people saw that even though I was "only seventeen" or "only eighteen", I was a lot more intelligent and mature than what they were used to. Life wasn't easy for me growing up and I had to make my own way in the world to save myself at an age when most of my peers didn't have much to worry about beyond who was taking them to the prom. But emotionally I was prepared to, unlike a lot of people I knew. They never saw that they had options that were worth fighting for. Me – I wanted more than that! I was tired of seeing the good life that other people had. I wanted that for myself. I still do…'

'Save yourself? Save yourself from what?' Ines asked gently.

'From becoming another statistic like a lot of the people I grew up with,' Jessica replied evenly as she fingered the mask in her hands. '…like a lot of people no matter where you go in the world. In some ways I'm blessed, I really am. The life I've lead, the opportunities I've had to fight for time after time and the things I've had to claw my way out of the pit from – What I have achieved is such a big deal for my people in a time when it shouldn't be anymore. And I've come by it all honestly through education, sacrifice and hard work. Sometimes I'd look at Cedric and he reminded me of what I was like at his age: serious, intelligent (more than some people were willing to give me credit for) with a determination to be true to myself and not get caught up in how other people thought I should live my life. He's actually the stronger one in our relationship. He's the first man I've ever been with who actually thinks of me before he thinks of himself.' Cedric makes me feel like even the impossible_ is_ possible.

'You make it sound at though it really hasn't ended between you.'

'You're right. It hasn't ended really, not for me… If it were possible to be with him, I would in a heartbeat…' Jessica said tearfully.

'But you can!' Ines cried. '_Mia Cara, you love him so much, anyone can see that!_ Why are you torturing yourself like this? Go back to him!'

'I can't! Really I can't… _I can't go back knowing_… it's… complicated. I can't go into it – I'm sorry!' Jessica said rising. 'Besides – I've got an OK life here now and I'm doing something I love. Being alone; it isn't the end of the world, is it?'

The Ormessinis could only watch in dismay as Jessica excused herself and left to go home so early in the evening.

'Something isn't right about all this, Giuseppe,' Ines muttered as they watched her get into a gondola.

'There's nothing we can do, Mia Cara, except be here for her. I know what it's like to feel like circumstances have conspired against you and that you are all alone. But if there was any way to find this "Cedric", I most certainly would.'

**xxxOOOxxx**

Cedric had been in Venice for a few dawns now and at least was closer to finding Jessica than when he'd arrived. He knew without a shadow of a doubt that she had to be here, but it was like looking for a needle in a haystack. He'd managed to get the details all the Artisan Workshops in Venice and in the nearest towns of The Veneto, but he was still hopeful that he wouldn't have to go into the area surrounding the ancient city of canals.

He would get up just as the sun was rising, armed with a Muggle notebook and pen as he ventured out into the monsoon-like weather. He slowly made his way down the list which had been organised according to area. It was the easiest thing he'd done for himself since Venice was a series of islands. He took to his search one island at a time from morning until night. It was tiring work and he'd had no idea how many workshops there were in the city alone. Some were rather small, with just two or three people just working out of their homes.

But here and there someone recalled seeing a woman such as he described. He would pull out a Muggle picture of Jessica and yes, she did look familiar – they were sure they'd come across her before. It was hard to forget a Native American, but no one had any idea what happened to her.

This dawn he'd awoken to the sound of rain hitting the red tiled roof of his rented room in a B&B. He was so tired, but at least he was down to his last area of Venice proper. There were additional islands in the lagoon including Murano – but there was no need to go to them just yet.

He still had to search Cannaregio.

The Hufflepuff was exhausted, and the rain was a convenient excuse for him to stay in bed and get some rest. But he couldn't. He was getting closer and closer with each dawn and he could slack off just because he wanted to sleep. Cannaregio was the most populated area of the city and particularly bustling with businesses and markets. He was going to have his work cut out for him, but that was why he'd left it for last.

Cedric forced himself out of bed and into the driving wintry rain even though he wasn't feeling particularly well.

**xxxOOOxxx**

Jessica hunkered down in her coat as a water bus known to Venetians as a vaporetti made its stops. It was at times like this when the weather was especially gruesome that she was grateful for something besides the gondolas and water taxis. Even on a day like today, the vaporetti, a relatively new form of transport that was far more economical, was heaving with people. But unlike Britain and elsewhere, people weren't allowed to cram themselves in standing up. If no seats were available, you'd just have to catch the next one – no exceptions.

She closed her eyes and savoured the silence. That was the other thing she appreciated about Venice in the morning during the off-season; it was blessedly quiet.

Had Jessica been looking out as the familiar canals and bridges passed her by, she might have been struck by someone who seemed familiar, someone who was disembarking from a water taxi, starting his last painful search for the woman he loved.

**xxxOOOxxx**

Jessica and Marta had been working on some new designs for the next Carnivale. It was a special commission, and Jessica's first. Jessica couldn't stand her patron, but she couldn't turn up her nose – if she pulled this off she could get more work. But at last, she was being recognised in her own right and adding to the fortunes of her House.

'I am glad Giuseppe secured you and not that bastardo Paolini!' Marta crowed. 'I am telling you, the Senorina Lattanzi is – how you say – she is one stuck-up cow! But these are masterpieces that even La Diva herself can't turn her nose up at; Paolini and his mi!'

'She's just another spoiled rich kid who doesn't know how good she has it,' Jessica replied wearily as she yawned.

She looked up at the clock over her worktable.

'I'm off for lunch – I need something to eat and a strong expresso to wake me up.'

'But you're allergic to coffee!'

'I know – but I'm dead tired. Couldn't sleep last night…'

'You've been like this for a bit,' Giuseppe said worriedly. 'Go home, Jessica. The world won't fall apart if you finally take some hard-earned time off! See you in seven new dawns!'

Jessica tried to protest, but everyone was agreed that she had been pushing herself too hard. With so little sleep, it wasn't good.

'Ahh that bitch can wait,' Elio crowed to uproarious laughter by everyone in the workshop as he began prancing around and simpering like Senorina Lattanzi did whenever she felt justified in cracking the whip like Jessica was her servant. He could do drop-dead imitations of their most despicable customers, and the princess Lattanzi was high on the list.

The former Librarian even laughed, and then excused herself to go home.

**xxxOOOxxx**

Jessica stopped in two of the local markets on her way home. Cannaregio was home to some of the oldest and respected marketplaces in the city. The weather was likely turn to snow now as they headed into Christmas and she wanted to stock up so that trips out would have to be few and far in between.

Once she was home, the former librarian put way her purchases and had a hot shower before preparing lunch. It was strange how the body could convince the mind of its tiredness, but then relaxing was nigh on impossible. Since she wasn't going to fall asleep anytime soon, Jessica decided to tidy up her flat. After she'd done that she started working on the decoration of some blank masks to keep her occupied. She turned on the television, but kept it low since she wasn't really paying attention to it.

After a time, Jessica put the mask down and stretched out, her body and mind finally in sync as she fell asleep.

**xxxOOOxxx**

Cedric forced himself to keep going in the driving rain. He'd ticked off a number of addresses, but still had quite a ways to go. He arrived at his latest destination and looked wearily at the address plate at the side of front door. He was soaked through to the bone, but he wasn't giving up. He would never give up, not until he found her.

'_Ca'Macana'_ he read as he checked out the ornate signage.

He plucked up his courage and walked into the shop.

**xxxOOOxxx**

'Can I help you?' Marta asked irritably in rapid-fire Italian as she walked into the shop room.

What was the point in having a sales clerk if he was never where he should be!

'Scusilo per favore; non parlo Italiano…' he mumbled as he went beet red.

'Can I help you?' Marta said slowly in English that was as heavily accented as her German-infused Italian.

'I'm looking for someone,' came Cedric's halting reply as he fumbled in his jacket for Jessica's photo. 'You probably haven't seen her…'

He pulled it out and could not believe his eyes as the blood visibly drained from the woman's face.

'You… You're…'

'_Cedric…_' said Guiseppe as he emerged from the workrooms and offices above stairs. _'I believe the name is Cedric, no?'_

It was the last thing Cedric heard before he fainted.

**xxxOOOxxx**

_RING! RING!_

Jessica turned over on her sofa and clutched the blanket she'd wrapped herself in even tighter.

_RING! RING!_

_BAM! RING! BAM!_

'Jesus Fucking Christ,' she hissed as she jumped up and stumbled into the chest that functioned as her coffee table. She cursed a blue streak and promised not to kill whoever it was that was being such a pain in the arse!

_BAM! RING! BAM!_

Jessica could barely see straight, she was so tired. Her phone had been ringing off the hook, but she couldn't be bothered to answer it and had just given in to trying to sleep as fitful as it was.

'_Jessica are you in there?'_ Giuseppe bellowed through her door.

'Oh for God's sake! You told me to take time off!' Jessica howled as she threw open the door.

She was forced to snap to attention when she saw how anxious her newfound Guardian Angel was. He cursed a blue streak in Italian and then demanded why the hell didn't she pick up the damn telephone as he pushed past her and went to her hall closet.

'Come on – get your coat!' he ordered.

The Master Artisan turned to find Jessica staring at him in disbelief. She'd never seen him so wound him in all the time she'd known him.

'Don't just stand there woman! You need to put some shoes on…!'

'You told me to take time off! Giuseppe I'm tired! I can barely stand up let alone keep my eyes open and…!'

'_Work, work! _I don't give a monkeys as you say about the work! _Please _– just get yourself ready to go! I have a taxi waiting downstairs!'

'Damn it to hell, can't it wait! If it's not work then what on earth is it? Is something wrong with Ines or Elio?'

'_No, Mia Cara, it can't wait! It's your Cedric! He's here and he needs you!'_


	33. Reunion

**Plot, new characters, new magical terms and abilities etc. are my intellectual property. If you want to borrow then please kindly ask. JK Rowling's characters and Wizarding Universe are all uniquely hers.**

**Summary: AU: What if everything we ever read in JK Rowling's books was real – including the people characterised? What would you do if you found yourself caught up in that reality knowing what was to come? SSnape, CDiggory, OFC**

**_Authors Note:_ _It has been mentioned in the story but now I am noting it here. I am a fan of Diana Gabaldon's 'Outlander'/'Cross Stitch' series and definitely was influenced by that in writing this story – i.e. the Standing Stones and traveling through time. But I also love Philip Pullman's 'His Dark Materials' series and the tv programme 'Sliders' and the alternate universes alongside ours idea comes from there no doubt._**

**_CHAPTER NOTES: WARNING! It's going to get hot in here folks, of course it is! If you don't like teh smut – move on! Want more than FF . net will allow – go check this out over at adultfanfiction . net or HPFandom . net – same Pen Name._**

**Fantasy/Drama**

**This story is rated R/M.**

**ENIGMA**

**Chapter 033: Reunion**

'He came to and insisted that we couldn't take him to the hospital…!' Elio said as Jessica flew into the shop with Giuseppe on her heels.

'_Where…?'_

'Papa's office!'

Jessica raced up the stairs two at a time, her heart hammering in her chest. When Giuseppe told her that Cedric had passed out cold in the shop, it was everything she could to not try to Disapparate on the spot. Besides, she probably would have hurt herself in the process since she'd never done it on her own before. She'd always clung to Severus like a scared little girl which vexed him greatly. But the only thing that mattered to her was that Cedric was here, and he was in trouble.

'Jessica?' Cedric moaned before swallowing.

'Yes… I'm here Cedric,' Jessica said softly as she dropped to the floor by the sofa he was stretched out on.

'I knew I'd find you…' the Hufflepuff said anxiously as Jessica brushed his damp hair back from his face and neck. 'I knew I would.'

'You must have a death wish to be walking all over Venice in weather like this!'

A bell sounded from below.

'It must be the doctor,' Marta said as she eyeballed the handsome young man sprawled on the sofa.

'I love you so much, Jessica. Why did you leave me and without a word?'

'I thought it was the right thing to do… I thought I had to…!'

A tall, rather stately man entered the room. Giuseppe ordered everyone out except for Jessica. The doctor ignored Cedric's feeble protests and began to examine him. He stuck a thermometer in his mouth forcing the strapping young man to be quiet.

Several anxious minutes later he rendered his verdict in Italian.

'You say he's been exploring the islands for several dawns in _this_?' the doctor said to Giuseppe as he gestured towards the windows. 'He's paid a price for it; he has a touch of a fever and slight congestion in the lungs.'

'Will he be alright,' Jessica asked tearfully as the doctor began scribbling on a pad. Her Italian was at least good enough to have understood that Cedric has risked his life trying to find her. 'This is all my fault!'

'Don't be silly,' Cedric said gently.

'He needs these,' the doctor replied as he handed several prescriptions to Marta who immediately took off for the nearest Pharmacy after a whispered word from Giuseppe. '…and plenty of bed rest. No going outside and no unnecessary exertion. There are antibiotics for an inhaler to help him breathe easier if he needs it and bring up the mucus in his lungs and respiratory tract. He should be fine – seems to be quite fit otherwise.'

'Thank you!' Jessica squeaked before bursting into tears.

'Jess…Jess; it's OK,' Cedric murmured as he stretched his arm and hand to stroke her hair.

His comforting touch was the only thing that reassured her.

'You are both welcome to come to stay with us,' Giuseppe said as Elio showed the doctor out. 'The house staff will be at your disposal and…'

'I don't know how to thank you for what you've done; but I'd like to get him home to mine. I need to take care of him my way…' Jessica said as she stood up.

'I thought as much,' the Master Artisan smiled. 'I have a private taxi on standby to take you home. Elio, Francesco and I will see you in and Marta will bring the medicines.'

Jessica nodded and then her colleagues got Cedric on his feet and down the stairs into the water taxi. They made a detour to his B&B to get his things and check him out before going to Jessica's flat. The circumstances were explained to the manager, who came outside himself just to check that things were what Elio said they were. However, the Ormessinis were an old and much respected family, so the man wasn't too worried.

Cedric was traveling completely Muggle, so there were no qualms about having Elio collect the Hufflepuffs things. Once at Jessica's, Elio and Francesco (the colleague who just also happened to be Marta's husband) helped put Cedric to bed. The Hufflepuff was so exhausted he couldn't be bothered to complain about strangers fussing over him.

Marta made her way to Jessica's flat loaded with bags, 'just a few' extra groceries and things she thought Jessica could use including a humidifier. There was so much she had to get help to haul everything up the stairs.

'Oh my god, what are you like!' Jessica exclaimed as she looked through the bags. 'You didn't have to all this, really!'

'Please – with kids and a husband like mine?' Marta said rolling her eyes. 'Men are so bad when they get sick and you'll have your hands full!'

'Speaking of which, Emil has the flu. He's been sent home from school,' said Francesco as he put his mobile phone in a pocket. 'You know, this place is nice but it's too small I think… You should consider a new place out in the lagoon. Bigger spaces for less money and it won't be that much time added to the journey in and out. It's still Venice, after all but less congested. Those islands are a very green and pretty part of the city too. We've never regretted moving out there.'

'You're right – but I need to get my man back on his feet before we start thinking about that… But it's on my list of things to do…'

'_Your man?'_ Marta asked innocently.

'"_We_ – as in the _two of you_, you mean?' asked Giuseppe with mock incredulity.

'You heard me,' came a fierce reply.

'Listen, you take all the time you need…' Giuseppe said as he positively beamed with happiness. 'And when your Cedric is better you will come to the palazzo eh? Let me and my Ines spoil you two rotten with good food, good wine, great music and even better friends!'

'Now that's an offer I can't I can't refuse; I could do with some spoiling. But what about her Royal Highness?'

'Are you kidding me – you're pretty much finished and Christmas isn't even here yet. I'll make sure she isn't a nuisance, don't you worry about it,' said Elio. 'And if she's that bothered she can go harass someone else. You've made some good contacts and believe me we have more than enough customers to deal with, including some new ones for you according to the appointment book. Senorina Lattanzi makes a pig's arse of herself wherever she goes – that bitch should just be lucky you agreed to do the job in the first place…'

Jessica's eyes darted down the hallway to where her bedroom was. The Venetians took their leave to give her the privacy she was desperate to have.

She needed to look after Cedric, and they had a lot to talk about.

**xxxOOOxxx**

Cedric seemed to have fallen asleep by the time Jessica got her friends out of the flat and unpacked all the bags. She tiptoed around the bedroom trying to make things as comfortable as possible and to tidy it up. The bed was positioned along the length of the banks of windows that took up one wall. She moved a table into the small space on the side that the Hufflepuff had claimed for himself and arranged the humidifier in which she'd added eucalyptus oil to the water. It was already dark outside so at least there was no worry about too much light interfering with his sleep. She adjusted the curtains and roman blinds so that the room would be dark in the morning.

In the wizarding world colds and flus were curable with just a small dose of a potion. But they weren't in that world at the moment. Indeed, Jessica had no idea at all if there were even wizards in Venice. She knew there were some in Italy, but from what she'd gathered during her time at Hogwarts America and the British Isles were the most populated followed by France. Given that fact, she often wondered why the Americans weren't represented in Rowling's accounting of the TriWizard Tournament. However, given the parallels between the books and the Second World War, it was quite understandable. Besides, her real-life experience had borne out that the competitors were British and European – and the details exactly as Rowling reported them.

The only light in the room was from a small lamp by her side of the bed. Jessica tended to Cedric as best she could, applying cool compresses to his head and bathing him down in cold water to help lower his temperature. He'd already had one dose of his medicines when Marta arrived, and he was resting comfortably. She moved the cool cloth across his shoulders, neck and chest after doing his arms and hands.

'You take such good care of me,' Cedric murmured as she moved the cloth across his abdomen and stomach. She stopped just above his curls. God Almighty – he was so beautiful to look at!

'You're supposed to be asleep. I see you found the strength to get your own clothes off; it helps tremendously…'

The Hufflepuff opened his eyes and looked up at his caregiver.

'I knew you had to be here,' he said emphatically. 'One of the first things we ever talked about was how much you had always wanted to learn how to make the masks. I've been looking every place where they make them here. I thought I'd leave the biggest area for last…more fool me.'

'So you were paying attention after all. Does anyone else know?'

'Yes, I did; and if you mean _him_ – no he doesn't. He doesn't open his mouth unless it's to be nasty! People can say or think whatever they like about you and he won't say anything!'

'I meant anyone else in general. I don't even think about him anymore,' Jessica said quietly as she sniffed back tears.

'Then why are you crying?' Cedric asked as he reached up to touch her face to remind himself that he wasn't dreaming and that he really was in Venice and he'd found her.

'You are all I've thought about since I left, Cedric; I do like it here, but it's taken every bit of strength I didn't know I have to not go back. And you were the only reason I wanted to go back.'

'I never wanted you to go; and I never stopped loving you or wanting to be with you.'

The former librarian bit back a comment. She was going to have to tell Cedric the truth, the whole and absolute truth about her situation. Of all people, he deserved to know. But she couldn't tell him. Not yet. Not when they'd only just gotten back together.

'Are we still together?' she whispered anxiously.

Cedric pulled her down and gave her a heated kiss.

'You are going to be the death of me, I swear,' he sighed as he looked up into her eyes.

Jessica visibly blanched and there was a hard twitch from her as he held her.

'You're not going to loose me!' he insisted. 'I'm not going die like Peter did! But you need to get over this obsession about something we'll all have to face sooner or later!'

'I really did spill my guts to you, didn't I?'

'You were really honest with me, more like. But I mean it Jessica! I am tired of this preoccupation with me dying! Anyway it doesn't matter anymore, the Tournament's over.'

'_**What?**_ _What do you mean the Tournament's over!'_

Jessica jumped off the bed and ran a hand through her hair, wild-eyed.

'The Goblet, the Goblet of Fire, it couldn't pick anyone for some reason. Apparently it's always a possibility, but it's unprecedented because it's never happened in the hundreds of years the Tournament's taken place…'

The former librarian swallowed hard and couldn't stop from shaking. Cedric reached out and pulled her down on the bed.

'One minute you're begging me to not put myself forward and now that I haven't and it's all over you're acting like the world is falling apart! What's going on with you?'

'_**You – didn't put yourself forward?'**_

'When I found out that you'd gone, I made a vow, a very sacred vow to you. I promised I wouldn't put my name forward if it would bring us together again. You know how serious these things are – it's a binding magical contract. I didn't put my name forward and somehow I was inspired to come here… and now here we are.'

'You felt that much for me?' Jessica said hoarsely.

'Jessica, what else do I have to do to prove myself to you? Yes, I _feel_ _**that** _strongly about you! I still do – why else do you think I'm here going through all this!'

'And the Goblet…chose…**_no one_**?'

'It made some odd noises – but the Headmaster tried twice and it just didn't do anything. Next minute the lights when up and the Goblet sealed itself. Professor Dumbledore said the Tournament was over and that was it. Ministry's been in a right state and don't get me started about the French and Eastern European governments if what the Prophet was saying is true...'

'_No…but…that's impossible!'_

'Apparently it's quite possible according to the rules. It's only because it's the first time that it's ever happened that there's so much fuss. Things had started to quiet down a bit before I left. Mid-term break couldn't have fallen at a better time…'

'This changes everything…' Jessica mumbled as the stared blankly at the closed curtains. _'Absolutely everything!'_

'What? Jess – I thought you of all people would be happy! You should be bouncing off the walls. What's wrong?'

'Nothing...'

Cedric eased himself up a bit and pulled Jessica closer.

'After everything we've gone through to get to this point… Jess we're finally together! Can you please just let it go – whatever it is that causes you to go through these changes... Just let it be OK that someone _finally_ put you first.'

'You really have… there's no denying it…'

'But you make it sound like it's such a horrible thing! What's done is done; now can we _please_ get on with our lives – I guarantee you everyone else is.'

'There's not much choice really.'

'Exactly,' Cedric replied with a faint smile.

He ran a hand through her hair and then over her shoulder. He followed the curve of her breasts and then reached up under her shirt to stroke her skin.

'You are supposed to be resting, Mr. Diggory. No unnecessary exertion the good doctor said.'

'True – but you can't just leave me here suffering from blue balls now can you?'

The former librarian giggled and blushed a deep red.

'I really missed you, even at Hogwarts,' Cedric said throatily as he unbuttoned the oversized man's style shirt she was wearing. 'I didn't know I could ever miss anyone the way I did you. Hoping to see you and then when I did not being able to talk to you or touch you the way I wanted to… What I said to you about how I much I love you – it became so real to me there in ways I couldn't have imagined.'

'I felt the same way,' Jessica replied as she shook off the shirt. 'I wanted to slap all those simpering fools hanging all over you. I know it makes me sound like a jealous old hag; but I wanted you all for myself…'

She let her Hufflepuff undo her bra. The rest of her clothes followed and she lay down in the crook of his arm.

'I may be a bit sick, but I'm not dead yet…' Cedric mumbled as he began to caress her.

'No – no you're not! Thank God…Thank God…!'

Jessica moaned as he began to kiss her and stroke her wetness. She could feel his hardening thickness against her thigh as she thrust against his fingers. Jesus, she wanted him – she wanted him so much!

'What do you want,' Cedric moaned as he stared at her hardening nipples and then at her half-closed eyes. 'Tell me what you want…'

Jessica's skin visibly flushed with goosepimples and he smiled. He leaned over, half-covering her body with his.

'Tell me how to please you,' he sighed.

'Jesus Christ! You are every woman's wet dream…'

'No; just yours...'

They began to kiss heatedly and Cedric moved to her neck. Jessica would definitely have tell-tale marks in the morning, but she wasn't about to stop him. He continued to her breasts and concentrated on her nipples. She reached down to him, causing Cedric to cry out as he bucked against her hand.

'Not... about… me…' he rasped.

The Hufflepuff struggled to catch his breath and then moved further south after Jessica released him. He began to explore her hungrily with his tongue and mouth. Jessica gasped as her hands grasped bars of the headboard. Cedric only let up when he couldn't take not being inside her. He pushed hard and deep causing Jessica to cry out, almost in pain as she felt herself stretching to accommodate his size.

'Like that…' she groaned as he hit a certain spot for the first time. 'Jesus right there!'

He pounded her hard as she raised her hips to take him deeper. Jessica focused on a fleshy spot of his neck, marking her territory as Cedric had done with her. They were whispering erotically in each other's ear, saying things that they'd never said to another soul. She moved on top of him and began to ride him hard. It was Cedric's turn to moan the house down as his senses were overwhelmed. Even the sounds of their lovemaking turned him on.

'Oh Merlin!' he roared as he felt himself exploding deep inside her.

The woman he loved moved off of him and took him into her mouth for the first time ever since they'd become intimate. Cedric tried not to think about the reality that she'd done this to other men – that she'd definitely done it to Snape.

'You like doing that…? Cedric gasped as she tormented the most sensitive part of his manhood with her tongue.

'I like doing it to you…' she whispered. 'Only you Cedric…'

The Hufflepuff pulled her back on top of him and kissed her deeply. He let out a strangled cry as he tasted himself on her. Jessica wouldn't let him go as her tongue battled his for dominance and she tasted herself on him.

'You never told me,' Cedric said huskily as he came up for air. 'You never told me what you liked…'

'You did one thing…'

Cedric grinned. It didn't take a genius to figure out what that was.

'So what's the other?' he asked innocently.

'No – I don't think you're _that_ open-minded…' she said coyly.

'You don't know unless you put it out there…'

'I want you to put it somewhere else definitely…' Jessica said huskily as she picked up the bottle of eucalyptus oil and tipped some of it over him down below.

Cedric breathed hard as she slicked it over every throbbing inch. The oil made him even more excited as the sensations of hot and cold permeated his skin. From the looks of things, they needed much larger bottles of the stuff.

'Where?' Cedric demanded playfully as he began to poke.

'You tease…'

'I learned from the best,' he said as he began to push.

'And who might that be?'

'This hot little librarian I knew once upon a time. Did she ever make a man out of me!'

'Hot hmm? You don't say…''

'_Red hot_… Holy Merlin!'

Jessica felt him entering her and tried to relax as her muscles clenched around him. Cedric spooned against her and they began a gentle give and take.

'God Almighty!' Cedric rasped through his groans of pleasure. 'Oh, Jess! Jess!'

He clung to her as they rocked back and forth. The impulse to thrust was too much and he moved so that her legs went up over his shoulders. The Hufflepuff lifted her hips and began to thrust hard. He liked it – he definitely, definitely like it! Their moans and cries filled the room until neither could take it anymore. They climaxed together and collapsed on the bed, covered in sweat.

'What are you grinning about?' Jessica asked as she stroked his hair back from his face.

'I'm happy… just unbelievably happy. I want to make you as happy as you make me – and more.'

'You do Cedric, don't ever doubt it. I want you to be happy too; this relationship isn't just about me you know. You have to consider yourself and not just me...'

Jessica started to get out of bed, but was held back as Cedric pulled her into his arms.

'No – stay with me!' he mumbled as he kissed the back of her neck.

'We've already done more than enough; you're supposed to rest, remember?'

'There was no way we were going to spend our first night not being together like that – and I definitely don't want to be alone, not now. I never want to know what it's like to not be with you, even if it's just a cuddle…'

Jessica sighed and settled into his arms, comforted by the warmth of his embrace as he fell asleep. She knew exactly how he felt. Now that they were together, she never wanted to know what it was to be separated from him ever again. But Jessica also realised something else; that either Cedric was going to have to forget about Hogwarts and stay in Vienna, or she was going to have to forget about Vienna and go back to Scotland. There was no way she'd ever go back to the famous wizard school as a staff member, not willingly anyway. Somehow a compromise was going to have to be reached; but the only thing she was sure about was that he had to finish his education and especially since he did not have long to go.

She almost laughed out loud. He was free of that ridiculous Tournament and he was alive. He was here because of her and they had a future now! However, Jessica's jubilation dissipated almost as quickly as it appeared as she fretted over the implications of the Goblet not chosing and the Tournament ending before it even really started.

Everything as she knew had changed – or had it? Had it really? Perhaps she'd made too big a deal of the death of the fictional Cedric Diggory? In the scheme of things, was it really as significant as all that? The whole point of the fourth book was that Lord Voldemort was back; so much of what she knew was still quite possible. Barty Crouch Junior, Mad-Eye Moody, Kakaroff… and then there was Severus. Cedric was a spare alright, to take a word from Rowling's book.

_But he was possibly a very important one, _a small voice nagged her, _and you've changed all that, yes you have._

Was it so wrong to not only love him, but to love him so much that she might have altered destiny irreparably?

**xxxOOOxxx**

The next morning Jessica woke up first. Cedric was fast asleep, his face plastered to her belly and mouth partially opened. She reached down and smoothed his hair before placing a hand to his forehead. He was still a bit warm, but that probably had more to do with the central heating kicking in overnight as the temperature dropped outside. She could hear the wind positively howling and it seemed as though the weather reports had been right for a change. Ca'Macana would be closed. Fortunately for Giuseppe's partners, he wasn't a heartless taskmaster like some of the newer breed of so-called Artisan. They might as well be in investment banking with their grinding schedules that didn't allow for much of a life or common sense in dealing with the sometimes turbulent weather of their water world.

Her phone rang, startling from her attentiveness to the man clinging for life to her.

'Sì, Buona Mattina...' she murmured.

'Good morning to you too, sleeping beauty!' Ines cackled. 'We just wanted to make sure you didn't have any crazy ideas about going to work, eh?'

'Not a chance! I'm happy to be a slacker for a change,' Jessica laughed.

'And your man…how is he? Although I should ask how you are - sore?'

'Oh my god!' Jessica giggled, blushing furiously when she thought of what she and Cedric had done last night.

'I couldn't help myself, Mia Cara. The way Marta and Elio carried on – apparently your Cedric is quite a fine specimen of manhood! I think Francesco is a bit jealous, the way she wouldn't stop talking. It certainly helped in the bedroom last night from what she just told me…'

'That is too much information,' Jessica snorted. 'But she got well and truly laid last night, eh? That's her payback for the shopping she did for us yesterday…'

Ines roared with laughter down the phone and this caused Jessica to want to laugh hysterically, but she tried to control herself so that Cedric wouldn't wake up. The Hufflepuff stretched in his sleep and rolled off of her as her stomach moved convulsively. He moved up right next to her and threw an arm around her which Jessica stroked absent-mindedly as she listened to the gory details of how her boyfriend had unwittingly wreaked havoc in Marta's bedroom.

'I'm telling you, Cara; that woman can't remember the last time she had it so good! And your Cedric – he must be quite something, no? You are sounding quite like the cat that got the cream last night yourself…'

'I'm not telling; Cedric would have my head on a stick if I talked about him like that!'

'Oooo come on – who would I tell?'

'Marta and Elio – and then you might as well take out a full-page ad in the papers: _"Attention – Jessica Newkirk was fucked like a demon last night! And she gave as good as she got too!"_

Ines was crying with laughter.

'Ooooo?' Cedric purred to Jessica's horror.

He started kissing her and humping her hip before tickling her madly.

'Cedric! _Stop it!_ I…. I…. Ooooooooo!'

'Is it as good for you as it is for me?' he said theatrically in a loud voice near the mouthpiece of the phone as he bounced up and down on the bed vigorously, causing a few slats to move and one side of the bed to come crashing down..

Ines was ready to pass out from laughing so hard on the other end of the phone.

'Oh he is a lively one, no?'

'Ines, you don't really think that we're… He was just fooling around and the stupid bed broke! Wait – I didn't mean that the way it sounded…!'

Cedric was curled up on the floor clutching his stomach as he laughed into a pillow. Jessica swatted furiously at him and this caused her side of the bed to come crashing down. She shrieked down the phone and swore in Italian.

'Scopata, scopata, _scopata_!

'Say no more, Cara, say no more; I have taken up too much of your time – sounds like you need to go shopping for a new bed…after you two are finished breaking that one…!'

Ines cackled with glee and hung up the phone.

'Aww don't look at me like that; I was just having some fun,' Cedric said sheepishly as Jessica smacked him on his butt. 'Ooooo so _that's_ what you had in mind!'

'This from the man who doesn't want the world knowing his business?'

'Well – this is a special occasion, an exception to the rule.'

'And why is that?'

'Thanks to you my reputation with the Italians is sealed. No need for me to be intimidated by these Latin Lotharios you've been surrounded with…'

'Ooooo you!' Jessica said as she shoved him playfully. 'You are a little devil, aren't you?'

'What I am is a man in love!' Cedric laughed before kissing her. 'Get used to it Missus.'

He and Jessica got off the bed and he retrieved his wand from his pants.

'Thank god we got the rest of my things from the B&B. I wouldn't want to have to go out in that…'

'Mmmm – I suppose it would be rather undignified to have you strutting your stuff in your birthday suit. Cooking in the nude is fraught with perils, you know…'

'One splash of the chip fat and…'

'I wonder if there's a potion for that…' Jessica mused as she adjusted one set of curtains just to look outside.

It was pouring rain alright and the winds were definitely gale force. You'd have to be a fool for sure to go out in this, but luckily they didn't have that problem.

A flick and swish of Cedric's wand and the bed was repaired. Another few flicks and it was remade with fresh linens.

Jessica held a hand to his forehead.

'Still a bit warm…'

'Then there's only one place for me today, I think,' Cedric replied as he pulled her back to bed. 'I need some tender loving care…'

'Right; I'll go get your medicine shall I?'

'You're all I need, Jessica…' the Hufflepuff murmured through a yawn.

'See, you are tired. You need to get some rest, no ifs ands or buts about it...'

It was Jessica's turn to yawn. She'd needed this time off, and Cedric being here gave her the perfect excuse to not push herself too hard by doing some work at home (which she'd been about to do).

She snuggled up to him and both fell fast asleep, safe in the comfort of finally being together.

**xxxOOOxxx**

'That Muggle travel agent thought I was mad,' Liam said to Minerva as they tucked into their breakfast. 'Said the weather there at the moment is like something out of a disaster film…'

'A what… oh yes, now I remember… Well what's a little rain and wind? Merlin knows we've got enough it right here…'

'I don't blame her, ye know, for going away like she did. Dumbledore has lost his grip; Snape is out of control… and I think some around her are more attached than anyone's given them credit for.'

'Oh? Ye seem quite certain Husband.'

'Young Mr. Potter. Losing her is like losing his mother all over again. I have to say Minerva, I do wonder about him, he's got so much anger in him right now.'

'I know,' Minerva replied guiltily. 'But there's nothing we can do. Jessica isn't his mother and she's entitled to her own life. She is safer where she is for the moment…'

'But ye miss her, don't ye?'

'Aye… that I do. She was a lovely one to talk to. I always looked forward to spending time in Hogsmeade with her. Even Rosmerta has asked about her. It's terrible having to mislead everyone this way…'

'But we have to. Our luck has held out with her, Mr. Potter's pushing of the envelop with Snape notwithstanding. In some ways I'm wondering if maybe those three should be Obliviated…'

'Dumbledore won't allow it. And I think Jessica is right to trust them. It's not Hermione or Ronald who are the problem, it's Harry. I just don't think there's an easy solution to what ails him at the moment, nothing short of Jessica coming back to Hogwarts at any rate.'

'This wasn't for her. Why should she sacrifice any more than she already has?'

'Albus wants her back…'

'Albus is feeling as guilty as sin. He's a big part of why things have gone the way they have. If he hadn't left to her to take Potter to the Weasley's…. things would be different, very different.'

'What are you not telling me, Liam?'

Her husband took a deep breath. He'd dreaded this moment for quite some time. But Minerva needed to know the truth before they left for their Holiday in Venice. She needed to know everything that he knew, everything that she hadn't managed to scry that night.

'I better start from the beginning…' Liam began.


	34. Crossroads II

**Plot, new characters, new magical terms and abilities etc. are my intellectual property. If you want to borrow then please kindly ask. JK Rowling's characters and Wizarding Universe are all uniquely hers.**

**Summary: AU: What if everything we ever read in JK Rowling's books was real – including the people characterised? What would you do if you found yourself caught up in that reality knowing what was to come? SSnape, CDiggory, OFC**

_**Authors Note:**__**It has been mentioned in the story but now I am noting it here. I am a fan of Diana Gabaldon's 'Outlander'/'Cross Stitch' series and definitely was influenced by that in writing this story – i.e. the Standing Stones and traveling through time. But I also love Philip Pullman's 'His Dark Materials' series and the tv programme 'Sliders' and the alternate universes alongside ours idea comes from there no doubt.**_

_**CHAPTER NOTES: Yes I have been gone for quite some time. Unfortunately I had some very real-life problems to grapple with. But I will finish this and all my other stories. And more will be revealed about the clans in time…**_

**Fantasy/Drama**

**This story is rated R/M.**

**ENIGMA**

**Chapter 034: Crossroads II**

Cedric and Jessica set about rediscovering each other in their newfound freedom together. Their days always varied, but they always started and ended it together. They reveled in their time alone as a couple and it was as though the only life they had ever had was this one.

Despite earlier appearances to the contrary, Cedric hadn't entirely left the wizarding world behind him. He had two extra trunks filled with his brooms, Quidditch equipment, schoolbooks and other practical items that been transfigured to look like sweat socks and underwear. They didn't dare unpack any of it in case the landlord needed to come into the flat while they were out – but in a practical sense there just wasn't enough room. Still, he did have some items to hand from the Apothecary in Diagon Alley and the Potions stores at Hogwarts. Jessica was able to help him brew a potion that quickly healed him of his decidedly Muggle illness.

The couple were then able to start braving the fierce wintry tempests that consumed Venice and the whole of the Veneto. There would be the odd moment of sunlight when the weather seemed to calm and Jessica began to show Cedric her Venice. He could see why she was so drawn to it and was compelled to stay. He fell in love with the art, the culture, the traditions and especially the good friends she had made. In his mind it wasn't a bad life at all. What a relief to be somewhere where Snape and the Malfoys weren't and where You-Know-Who didn't have a stronghold like he did in Britain. How nice it was to not have to think about fighting back against something that threatened to destroy the fragile peace that bound the wizarding communities together. Most important, it was blessedly good just to be able to be with Jessica and not have to put on a pretence that he didn't love her.

As they crossed St. Mark's Square one wintry afternoon the former librarian suddenly turned. 'There's a beautiful old church, quite small and always quiet that I would love to show you, Cedric,' said Jessica. 'It's not too far away. I always find peace and tranquillity in churches…and this one is a special favourite…'

As if on cue, there were almost sonic booms in the sky. So much for the respite from bad weather…

'Let's leave it for another day, love,' Cedric said as he signalled a water taxi. 'Looks like another serious storm is coming and I would much rather ride it out at home.'

Jessica looked up and frowned at the heavy dark clouds rolling in from the West.

'Shame – it is a beautiful church, but I could do with a nice hot cuppa,' she said as he took her hand and led her to the taxi as rain began to fall. 'We can see it some other time and I'll take you to my favourite place for antipasti just off the square here…'

**xxxxxxx**

To her dismay Minerva found that the weather in Venice was even worse than that she and Liam had left behind. They were grateful for the odd moments when things let up but today their luck wasn't meant to hold out. And mercifully they were at least at a distance from the tensions at Hogwarts with the Tournament and the Malfoys. That was something to be grateful for. She thought about what Liam had revealed to her just before they left for their holiday as they took refuge from the storm in a small church a small distance from St. Mark's Square. No matter how many times she turned it around and around in her head, there was still this unrelenting desperation for a silver lining in the dark clouds hanging over Jessica, dark clouds that Jessica had no clue about.

'Muggles and their fanciful notions about their place in the universe,' Liam commented in hushed tones after a time. He didn't know why he was whispering, but supposed it was because the place was so still, to do otherwise would seem disrespectful. Even if he didn't agree with it, he could respect the traditions of the place.

When a biting retort wasn't forthcoming he looked over at his wife.

Minerva was perched on the edge of the pew. She had stopped short of kneeling on the cushioned bench at their feet and crossing herself; but he could tell that in her own way, Minerva McGonagall was praying to the Christian God.

Liam reached over silently and put one of his hands over hers.

'If it's any consolation, _I'm scared too_…' he murmured.

Without looking at each other or speaking another word, witch and wizard slid off the ancient wooden pew and onto the prayer bench.

**xxxOOOxxx**

Several days later Cedric and Jessica were up earlier than usual. Marta had given them a tip on a house in the Lagoon that was available, but not yet on the market. This morning the former librarian and her lover had an early breakfast and set out to view the place. Her colleague hadn't exaggerated, the house was a dream.

'Soooooo what do you think?' Jessica asked Cedric quietly after they dismissed the solicitor.

They were able to bypass overpriced real estate agents and deal directly with the family selling the house. It would be a much better deal for everyone involved and far less time-consuming.

'You'd be a fool to turn it down…' Cedric whispered. 'I can't believe how reasonable the price is…and for so much room.'

'What do you mean _**I**_ would be a fool?'

Jessica poked the burly young man and then looked up at him with a faint smile.

'I don't want you to ever think you don't have control over your own life Jess. _**He**_ was always telling you what to do, what to say, how to think… I don't want you to ever think that you mustn't be your own person for us to be ok with each other. It wouldn't bother me at all if this place was completely yours...'

'You make sound as though you don't intend on going back,' Jessica replied hesitantly.

'Why should I? Everything I need is here.'

'Your education…you're so close to finishing and you need something to show for it all. You need to finish and get your certificates.'

'It just so happens that while you've been working on your projects at home, I was exploring the wizarding community here.'

''You _**what**_? I wasn't even sure that they _**had **_a wizarding community here – why the hell didn't you tell me?? Going for a walk to get some air my arse…!'

'Because I wanted to be sure of things before I said anything,' Cedric said gently as he turned to face Jessica directly and put his hands on her shoulders. 'I can transfer in and finish in roughly the same amount of time. I'd have to travel to and from Florence but I would be a Day Student – they don't believe in boarding here – mainly because of the expense.'

'You…you looked into all this even before you came here, didn't you…' Jessica said softly. 'It never even occurred to me to be honest…'

'Yes, I did.'

The former librarian took one of his large hands in hers and then kissed its palm.

'All I needed to do was get here and have my interviews,' Cedric continued. 'Hogwarts is a prestigious school and my grades aren't that bad. I was a Prefect _and_ I was Quidditch Captain for Hufflepuff and not too shabby at that. We had a preliminary fire-to-fire chat and it went well. It was pretty much a done deal before I left; all I needed to do was find you and then confirm that I want to transfer.'

'…Professor McGonagall would have to approve it, Cedric. And I would find it hard to believe that someone like you could be making enquiries and no one managed to find out!'

'They were only enquiries, Jess… Anyway, it doesn't matter. The school records I have are official and they are just as valid since they have the school seal on them. I don't need to involve Professor McGonagall that much other than informing her that I've left and observing certain courtesies. But what I do or don't decide is entirely up to me and I don't need her approval or anyone else's.'

Cedric pulled the woman he loved into his arms.

'You're stuck with me now,' he said nervously.

'No…' Jessica murmured, 'never stuck…'

She and Cedric melted into a gentle kiss and she let him hold her.

'We'll be ok,' Cedric said softly after a moment or two.

'Yes, of course we will…' Jessica replied, filled with uncertainty. Nothing so complicated could be worked out so easily. It was almost too easy and nothing was ever as simple as it seemed to be.

Severus had taught her that.

**xxxOOOxxx**

'Harry you really need to get a grip!' Hermione scolded. 'Professor Dumbledore won't be able to protect you if you keep on like this!'

The Boy Who Lived had had yet another run-in with Professor Snape. It was bad enough when school was in session but it was something else when they were supposed to be having a fun-filled holiday. Harry had endured no end of grief, but having to put up with Snape's thinly-veiled jibes was something else when the resident overgrown bat should be off terrorizing someone else and giving him some peace.

'You're not exactly easy to be around these days you know,' Ron huffed. 'Taking your problems with that greasy git out on your mates isn't going to do you any favours!'

'WELL WHY DON'T YOU JUST PISS OFF THEN!' Harry stormed as he flung himself in a chair in the Gryffindor common room.

Ron started to speak and Hermione silenced him with a deadly glare. If there was anyone who could get World War III started with a careless remark it was him. And goodness knows he'd said enough already.

'Be careful what you ask for, Harry. You need all the friends you can get and you just might need them sooner rather than later.'

'You sound like _**her**_,' Harry spat.

'Well she _**is **_a smart lady – and she's had to tell me that a few times too…' Hermione said as though she couldn't quite believe it herself.

'We miss her too Harry,' Ron said. 'You might be closer to her I guess, but it doesn't mean that it's just you that's hurting…'

'Ron's right (for a change)… and I have no doubt that its all this business with Snape and the Malfoys that got her so wound up as much as it has you… but you aren't going to get anywhere by being so nasty to people that haven't done anything to particularly deserve it!'

The Boy Who Lived took a deep breath and then wiped his eyes.

'She's the only one…' he said through a hard swallow. 'She's the _**only one**_ who's ever confronted _them_, punished them for what they've put me through, tried to set things right…!'

Harry told his two best friends about the previous summer when Jessica turned up at the Dursleys.

'Bloody Hell so it _**is**_ true! I overheard Dad saying something to Mum about it, but you know what he's like when he thinks we're trying to listen in on their conversations!' Ron boomed. 'Gosh I would've paid good money to see that!'

Even Hermione burst out laughing and soon the friends were crowing over the fact that Harry's most hated tormentors had got their comeuppance.

'Were you… hoping… that somehow…' Ron began carefully. 'Were you hoping that somehow she'd take you away from there?'

The only answer was a loud snort.

'Harry – If there had been a way for Jessica to do it, I'm pretty sure she would have,' Ron continued. 'She risked a lot just by going there and even you've said that she keeps covering for you with Snape…'

'Two for two Ronald; quite impressive,' Hermione said with an agreeable nod of her bushy head.

'You agree with him then?' Harry asked sullenly.

'As a matter of fact, I do.'

Look Harry – we all know that Jessica doesn't play favourites; never has since she's got here,' Ron said carefully. 'But she hasn't gone to see anyone else at home but you. Yeah some of the others come to her and that… But you're the only one here in such an extreme kind of situation and she worries about that a lot… I heard her say so to Mum back at ours... and Mum said to Dad that Jessica's gotten into some mega-barnies with Dumbledore about you being left with those people – she heard about them from McGonagall. There aren't that many people alive who would go up against the Headmaster and Jessica doesn't seem to be afraid of him like other people are!'

'_Not worried enough to not run out on me…'_

'If Jessica left it was for a good reason, Harry. Somehow I don't think that this is the end of it. And I think if anything she'll be back and it will be because of you. She loves you too much and maybe that's the problem,' Hermione added quietly.

Harry remained silent. He was sullen, but silent.

He was listening.

'Can you imagine what it would be like to love someone so much and yet be so powerless to do something to stop what was happening to them? And that someone is a student where you work…' Hermione continued thoughtfully, 'Technically she was out of bounds for going to the Dursleys and taking you out like she did; I think she loves you to much to let go like she's expected to. But I think that's what it is for her; she can't help how much she cares about you and she's stuck because she can't do what she wants. Let's face it, Dumbledore will always have the final word no matter what happens – and as far as most people are concerned as long as he's around you're safe. They don't know anything about those hideous people you're forced to live with. It's always about You-Know-Who… But Jessica got past all that to you – the _real you_ that no one else ever sees; and I think that's what the bond is for you with her.'

'I've never even talked to her about that… _Him_….' Harry said. 'We talk about everything else but _that_…'

'She's probably the only one who isn't reminding you of it,' Ron said. 'You know what you're up against, you don't need telling… and Merlin knows Mum and Dad do enough of that when you come to ours… and people 'round here can't leave it alone to save their lives including us.'

'Your parents are really good to me, Ron, and I'm grateful – I really am. But it's your family, not mine… And you and Hermione are the best mates I could ever hope to have but… I know Jessica isn't my mother… but I…it's just…'

Harry shrugged absently and looked down his hiking boots, the hiking boots Jessica had gotten him the last time she went to Edinburgh. They were a deep olive green and she'd thought they complemented his eyes. She'd come back with those and some other things she thought Harry could use. He didn't need any of it really, but it had felt great having someone fuss over him the way he was used to watching with his friends and schoolmates.

'I think Mum was a bit put out at first… But Jessica won her over in the end.'

'Your Mum has a large family of her own. Jessica has no one and neither does Harry in a sense. It's like she was dropped here for you, Harry.'

'Except she's not here! If the Dursleys find out that she's gone they'll start punishing me again – and this time it'll be worse!' Harry's brilliant emerald eyes began to well up and he walked away from his friends and went up to his dormitory.

'D'you really think she'll come back?' Ron asked plaintively as he watched the retreating back of his best friend.

'I don't think he's ever told us just how much those people hurt him…'

'D'you think…?'

'I don't want to think that, Ronald. I really don't… But it wouldn't surprise me if…'

Hermione blinked back tears of her own.

'I hope she comes back… I really want her to come back…for Harry's sake if nothing else,' she said hoarsely before bursting into tears.

Looking around more out of embarrassment than anything else, Ron did the only thing he could do and put his arms around Hermione. But they were both thinking the same thing: if it was true that Harry's abuse was far worse than he'd ever let on, it was even more important that Jessica returned to Hogwarts and sooner rather than later.

**xxxOOOxxx**

Everything had seemed so certain, and yet things were falling apart of their own accord. At the last possible moment the purchase of the house had fallen through. Marta couldn't stop apologizing – she never would have thought the family capable of such vile underhandedness. But it seemed that for some strange reason they just didn't want to sell to Jessica. They were willing to have the house on the market for a long time and potentially undersold rather than have _'someone like that'_ live in it.

'It doesn't matter,' Jessica told her for about the hundredth time over a heaping plate of antipasti in her favourite outdoor café just over a week after she and Cedric had seen the house. The weather had changed enough so that they could brave the outdoors even though it was likely to be short-lived. 'Been there and experienced it already. Let's just drop it OK. It may take a while to find something but we'll find something – and even better than that stupid house. It was way more room than we needed anyway…''

It was hard not to sound bitter and God only knew that she didn't want to make this into a big racial issue (even though it definitely was). But Cedric was finding out for himself that not everyone was prepared to accept an inter-racial relationship, their age difference notwithstanding. They weren't cocooned in the wizarding world anymore where it was only ever about bloodlines. This was his real world – and it could be just as ugly as the one she'd left behind on the other side of the Stones.

'Why don't I get us some more drinks – Jess?' Cedric asked quietly.

His girlfriend looked close to tears. They had put such expectation into having that house. It would have been their first real place together; the house where their life together would truly begin.

'Yeah – I think I need a bit more than a soft drink…'

'A Cosmo it is then My Lady… Marta; hot for more 'Sex On The Beach'?' Cedric asked loudly.

There was some sniggering from the tables near theirs and Jessica's colleague looked like she wanted to disappear into the pavement. Jessica burst into laughter and shooed her boyfriend away.

'He is sooooo bad your Cedric!' Marta snorted disapprovingly.

'Wouldn't have him any other way my dear!'

'Jessica… Jessica is that you??' came a familiar voice.

Jessica's laughter stopped short as she looked up in disbelief. Professor McGonagall and her husband flew across the small square, their faces mirroring what she was feeling.

'Minerva?' Jessica squeaked. 'Oh, Minerva! Liam!'

The former Librarian jumped up from the table almost knocking it over as she ran out into the square almost to the door of her favourite church.

'By Merlin you look fantastic!' cried the Deputy Headmistress as she and Jessica hugged tightly, tears running down their faces.

'See Wife – I told ye she'd be alright…' Liam commented incredulously. 'Good seeing ye, Sister. Ye've been missed and not just by us…'

He wasn't even about to go down the road of commenting on all the praying they had been doing since they found this church. For her part Jessica wasn't about to comment on the shocking sight of seeing Liam McKenzie coming out of a church looking almost reverential.

'Jessica – are you alright?' Marta shouted across the square. 'Is everything OK?'

'Oh God where are my manners?!' Jessica sniffed as she walked between her two dear friends back towards her table. 'Marta I'd like you to meet some very dear friends of mine. More than friends – family really… the closest I'll get to a proper family…'

Jessica introduced everyone and stopped short as she remembered Cedric… The same Cedric who was walking back to their table trailed by a waiter with drinks.

'Jess the bartender doesn't know how to make a Cosmopolitan so I got you something else. It's hot 'Sex on the Beach' all around … _Professor McGonagall… Mr. McKenzie…'_

Cedric stopped for only the briefest of moments before walking over to Jessica and putting his arm around her. Jessica swallowed as she looked up at him and then over to her magical family. Marta just looked like she wanted to be anywhere but there as Cedric's remarks were laughed at yet again.

'So we meet at last, Mr. Diggory,' Liam said quietly as he extended his hand in the way of the Highlanders. It was a sign of respect – and of peace. He had no quarrel with the young man, none whatsoever.

Jessica gestured quickly to Cedric and the Hufflepuff extended his hand back in the same manner.

'I have waited for this moment for a long time and I welcome you as a Brother, Cedric.

'You… what?' Minerva asked shakily.

'It would have done ye no good to know it _**all**_, my dear wife… I don't even know it all, but I knew enough. There was a reason ye didn't see it, aye?'

'So it isn't Snape that has the soul connection….?' Minerva murmured so that only Liam heard as they walked to the table to take a seat. _'And it's not him that will father the child…?_'

But her husband would not answer her.

**xxxOOOxxx**

There was so much to talk about, not the least of which was how Jessica had come to be here, how she had been surviving and what how in Merlin's name had Cedric Diggory found her when even Dumbledore couldn't. It would do no good to start speaking of Jessica returning just yet. But return she would, Liam was certain of it. Just as he'd been certain they would find her. His faith had always been stronger that his wife's to a degree – and her husband's silences was not something Minerva ever took lightly.

There was so much about her own future that Jessica had no idea about; and even knowing what they did, Minerva and Liam were certain that there were twists even with the most destined of situations to come. Even with the formidable magic and power of the Clans, it was not for them to know _everything_. They knew just enough to keep Dumbledore at bay and stop his wretched interfering, if such a thing were possible.

And it would do none of them any good to dwell on what was to come, especially Cedric. But he was not to know and neither was Jessica. Minerva could see why Liam had made her swear an oath; had she known it was Cedric that Liam had been seeing as they scryed things would be quite different now.

'Let this be as happy a time for him as it can be,' Liam finally said in quiet communication perceived of only by his wife as a water taxi took them away from the inquisitive eyes of Jessica's friend and colleague. Jessica had made excuses to Marta so that she and the others could return to her flat and speak in private.

Minerva gestured lightly in reply as she trilled about the excitement of the flight over and their stay in the Veneto so far. But it was for the sake of propriety

Jessica and Cedric had a lot of explaining to do.

Professor McGonagall was bound by duty and honour to get some answers. After all, she was still Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts.

**xxxOOOxxx**

They were seated around the dinner table, huddled over their tea cups. Jessica and Cedric held hands, each being the strength the other needed. They felt as though if they could get through this, they could get through anything. In some ways Minerva and Liam were even more terrifying than Dumbledore – but it was perhaps because Jessica loved them and her adoptive family so much and she was aware that she'd let them down by running off like she did.

'Ye can never take anything for granted lass – even with the magic we possess. Many have fallen afoul of a decision made in the heat of the moment, a decision not thought about as much as it ought to have been. Ye've witnessed some terrible things and been a victim, yes ye have. But this world – this world holds dangers the likes of which I hope ye never come to know firsthand,' Liam chided her. 'We found ye because it was in accordance with Divine will that we should do.'

'You mean it was meant to be – so that's why it happened?' Jessica asked quietly.

'Aye,' said Minerva lapsing into her native brogue. Young Diggory might as well get used to it. 'Even with being able to see where ye were, it did not lead us straight to ye. There might have been times since we arrived that we were closer to ye that spoon is to the teapot; but we were not going to cross paths with ye 'til it was meant that we do.'

Jessica took a deep breath and blinked her eyes. There was so much to say and at the end of it she could very well lose Cedric. Even she was sick and tired of being sick and tired of her dramas. She told them everything – everything she dared without mentioning the books. Cedric could never know about those. Not ever. And they all knew it. But she did come clean about the stones, Cedric should at least know that. She told everything that Minerva and Liam already knew and then filled them all in on the truth of her disappearance.

'I couldn't cope. I just couldn't cope with hearing how much Severus is suffering because he supposedly loves me and all the rest of it; and yet he makes me feel so worthless and stupid. He makes me feel likes he hates me. And I've ruined Cedric's life, but I couldn't help myself with him. It's no excuse and I'm not trying to make any, but I should have turned him away when he showed up here.

And then there's Harry; my wonderful, sweet, mischievous boy whom I can't do a damn thing to help! I wish I _**didn't**_ know everything about him that no one else does! You have no idea how much he's suffering! But I know it; I understand it better than you'll ever know! Of anyone here, Harry Potter knows me better than anyone! I know what you're going to say and your probably right – but sometimes the key to trying to get through it all is knowing that someone else has been there and made it through the other side. The moment I shared that with him all the walls came crumbling down. He sees his friends and their families and what they have – owls coming from home and parents coming up for Open House and the others going home for the holidays and visits. Who does he really have for himself? Nothing! I want nothing more than to take him away from those horrible people and Dumbledore won't let me! The most Powerful Wizard of the Age is seemingly impotent when it comes to that!'

'You make it sound like you're Potter's mother, Jess, and you're not!' Cedric snapped angrily.

'Get over yourself Cedric! You are lucky you know – you've got two parents who for whatever their flaws are try to do the best they can by you. Maybe you wish you had them around more, but they've never, _ever_ mistreated you or made you feel unwanted and unloved. Your father exasperates you sometimes, but you're still his pride and joy. And we all know that you are your mother's son. They've given you the best they can. Harry hasn't had that – all he's had is horrific abuse the likes of which you can't imagine. I'm not condemning you for having had it easy my love believe me I'm not – I know that for you things aren't exactly the way that you want and I'm not going to piss on what you feel! But look at your life, Cedric, and see how blessed you really are.'

'After all this; after everything we have been through and what we've shared together – you're having a crisis _now_ because of _Harry Potter_? He lost his parents and I'm sorry about that – but your future as a mother doesn't include him! You're going to be my wife Jessic!' Cedric howled.

'You haven't even _**asked**_ me dammit and I don't even know that I will ever have children, Cedric! Don't you ever listen to me? I've sat here and told you everything! I nearly died trying to have a baby for Severus – I can't go through that again!'

'And Potter knows you better than _anyone_? Thanks, Jessica – thanks a lot for nothing!'

'That's not fair – that's not fair and you know it! Do you have idea what its like to get close to someone and to open up and tell them the truth only to have them turn it around on you? Do you know what its like to feel like you're worthless and dirty and ashamed? Do you have any idea what it's like having to grow up fighting for every single day of life that you're supposedly blessed to have? No – you don't! So don't get your knickers in a twist because surprise, surprise I actually love someone else besides you! This isn't a competition Cedric! You talk about having babies and yet the minute they are here they take up a lot of mum's time! You know why your parents have problems? It's because both of them are so damn competitive when it comes to you – each one of them jockeying for position with you because they don't pay enough attention to each other and because your mother can never do enough for your father even when tries! If you don't learn anything else from them make sure you get it in that thick skull of yours that the love of a child isn't a competition and if you aren't prepared to share the love of your spouse with that third entity then don't bloody have any children! They've passed that down to you – that jealousy of anyone or anything that you think comes in the way of you getting all of the attention! Harry isn't the only one that's needed me, but he's needed me a damn sight more than the rest of you – and if nothing else I do owe it to him to be there for him because no one else dares to!'

Cedric said nothing and instead jumped up from the able and barged out of the flat. Minerva felt more than a bit stung by what Jessica had to say, but it was true. She had protested to Dumbledore about the baby Harry being left with those vile Muggles, but he overruled her saying that it was for the best. With all the knowledge at his fingertips there had been other ways to protect Harry – but as always Dumbledore was a law unto himself. She should have put her foot down, she should have fought as Jessica had. But she hadn't. She'd let Harry down over and over again long before Jessica entered the picture. She couldn't resent the younger woman for having the guts to _**act**_. She was more Gryffindor and even more Slytherin than Ravenclaw… perhaps the Hat had made a mistake...

Jessica burst into tears but would not be consoled by Minerva and Liam.

'Ye've told the lad the truth, Jessica,' the Highlander said firmly. 'And us also. It's a lot more than most would have done. I'm not about to pass judgment. I'm in no position, not given our situation.'

'Your… situation?' came a muffled mumble from behind Jessica's hands. 'Are you interfering Mr. McKenzie?'

'No – as I've said we are here because we are meant to be. We found ye because we were meant to. Ye've relayed what it is that we've not had the knowing of and so we are doing with ye. Ye know that I be a fair shade younger than the missus, but have ye never questioned it to yerself. Have ye never?'

The former Librarian lifted up her head and blew her nose.

'I always supposed that you were young enough to at least have been a student of hers – when she'd not long started out as Deputy.

'And ye'd be right about that,' Minerva answered point-blank without flinching.

Jessica looked from one to the other.

'We didn't just happen to meet anywhere but at Hogwarts or in any way other than myself being a student there,' Liam said directly. 'I'm not going to sit here and pretend that it was easy; the situation was anything but. But when I realised that my Minerva loved me as much as I did her I would not be deterred.'

'And I was willing to walk away from everything and everyone that I knew,' Minerva sighed. 'If I had to choose then it was that simple. But life is never, ever that simple, especially when your bound by love to the likes of a McKenzie.'

'I wouldn't have it. I made her swear an oath that she would stay and tough it out. When I was out on my own then we would be together. Arrangements were made and that was that.'

'_Arrangements _– you mean you were still at Hogwarts and that was… accommodated? _Are you taking the piss_?'

'I do no such thing me wee lassie – and aye, that I was. Professor Flitwick tutored me in the fine art of transfiguration and we carried on from there. This is not to say that there was no hoo-ha about it; there was a fair bit of a to-do, Merlin help me. But it wasna the first time it had happened and wasna likely to be the last. Minerva and I have stood the test of time. I wasna some simple-minded hormonal teenager and she was nowhere near being some stereotypical spinster.'

'Believe me Jessica I know the struggles that you have had – I daresay I understand a lot more than Mr. Diggory does right now,' Minerva said gently. 'Potter does need ye – something fierce. He's not going to lower his pride and send that owl after ye. I think in his mind if ye come back without him asking ye – then he'll know that ye love him truly and that it wasn't on account of him that ye ran off. He blames himself for a lot of things that have nowt to do with him, poor lad.'

Liam had his own thoughts but decided to stay silent, as was his way at times like these.

'It's not his fault the Headmaster couldn't leave well enough alone. Not with Harry, not with me, or Severus or even Remus…'

'Lupin – ahh yes. Dumbledore still wants to believe that there is something there for ye yet with that one. The school was no place for a werewolf, no place at all.'

'Remus served a purpose and that purpose is done. He can never get away from what he is and right now he's too stuck with playing the martyr. No, there was never going to be anything lasting between us and in time Remus will see it too. Someone else will come along who may seem to give up because he forces her to – but she'll never let go. And that will make all the difference to them both where it wouldn't for us. He and I… it was nothing more than something physical and the circumstances to make it happen. His quarrel really isn't with me even if it might feel like it right now.'

'You're being mighty charitable about Dumbledore setting you up like that,' Liam said carefully.

'It's water under the bridge. Dumbledore isn't done with meddling. We all know that. I don't think he has entirely selfless motivations and I daresay he can be tempted as much as any other man. Time will tell… I guess I was meant to come here… I just wish it had been after the seventh book. There's too much I don't know…'

'But – some things are different to what ye read are they not lass?' Minerva asked.

'Aye – that they are; but so far quite a bit of it is because of Dumbledore maybe… You both say that what happens is what's meant… so maybe he's meant to be an interfering old codger and perhaps things will right themselves…' Jessica replied with a faint shudder.

'…and there is always the possibility that what comes to pass is precisely what was meant in the first place… Whatever is meant to be _will happen_ regardless of the Headmaster's interference or anyone else's – just later and in a slightly different way,' added Liam.

There was a tapping at the window by the table. As an uneasy recognition dawned on Jessica, she lifted her head to see the snowy form that was Harry's owl shivering in the freezing cold that had descended with nightfall.

'Holy Merlin!' Minerva gasped.

The former librarian rose unsteadily but then flew to the window. She held her arm out for Hedwig and then brought the sickly-looking creature inside.

'Good Lord – you don't think…' Jessica spluttered.

'Read it lass; read the message the owl has brought ye!' Liam implored her.

Just then Cedric came crashing through the door, seemingly out of breath.

'An _owl_ – I saw a bloody owl that looks like…' he stammered, shivering with cold.

'_Harry Potter's._ You weren't imagining things, Hedwig is here. God almighty you're going to get sick again,' Jessica scolded him as she pushed him over to the sofa and made him sit while she got two heavy blankets and a steaming mug of tea.

'What does he say lass?' Liam asked anxiously.

Jessica sat down next to Cedric and their guests sat down on the other sofa nearer the fireplace. She unfolded the parchment with shaking hands and leant down in the crackling firelight to read. There were streaks as though some of the writing had gotten wet as he was writing. But it wasn't from Harry, it was from Hermione and she had been crying – Jessica was sure of it. But she made no mention of it to the others.

She read the letter in silence twice before saying anything about it. After all, it was meant for her and her only.

'It's not from Harry, but he needs me,' she said at last blinking her eyes. 'He would never admit that of course, but he needs me…'

'Or maybe you want to be needed and by him,' Cedric cut in sullenly.

'_Cedric_… what I really don't need is this, not from you. You came out here looking for me and half-killed yourself to do it too I grant you. But only because I ran off and didn't think about anyone but me and what I was feeling. That made quite a change for me – but perhaps it wasn't the right thing to do. But you weren't thinking of me anymore than I thought of anyone else.'

'What? What are you saying?'

'What I'm saying is that whatever you do with your life should be because it's what _you_ want – and not because of interference from me. I was just as bad as Dumbledore – laying that guilt trip on you. I don't regret loving you Cedric and I will always love you – but I'm not so convinced that being here like this is the right thing to do! Things aren't working out here – we both know that! And there is a higher reason for that I'm sure of it now even if it does scare the hell out of me.'

'And how do you know that Potter isn't being influenced so that someone can force you to go back!'

Jessica sighed and then walked over to the antique sideboard by the dinner table. She unlocked a drawer and pulled out a velvet box. Liam knew what she was going to do and made no move to stop her. She put out a crystal and filled it with water. Jessica tapped the bowl once, twice, thrice. She tapped the parchment and then aimed her wand at the water. At first there was blurriness so she tried it again. On her fourth try Harry's shaking form swam into view. He was laying on his bed at Hogwarts, curtains drawn around his bed and crying into his pillows so he couldn't be heard.

'She's got the Ravenclaw gift of sight alright,' Liam whispered proudly to a shocked Minerva. 'It's not fully-formed, but it's there! Every instinct she has is magical – it's spirit driving her now; the spiritual gift she's run from her whole life!'

'I have to go back,' Jessica whispered hoarsely. 'I have to…'

'You don't have to do anything?' Cedric roared. 'What about us, Jessica? What about everything I went through for us to be together?'

'I'm going back and that's all there is to it. That's the thing about making choices, Cedric. You have to be willing to live with them regardless of the outcome. There was no guarantee of anything when you came here. Things could have been very different for you.'

'But they aren't different! I don't want you to go back there! I…'

'I need to go back because it _is_ the right thing for _me_ to do! I made a mistake in leaving like I did! What I needed was space and time on my own and you and Severus and everyone else needed it from me. I could have had that without all this unnecessary drama. If what you want is to be with me Cedric then it doesn't matter where we are! People before us haven't had the luxury of just running off and frankly this was the first time in my life that I've ever cracked _so much_ under pressure. It was just a holiday break for you but I have some explaining to do. No one will know where I ran off to or that you managed to come after me. What they will know is that I'm back… I'm not likely to work at Hogwarts again but I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.'

'And what about us, Jessica? What about us?'

'You're no coward Cedric! Far from it! You saved my life at the World Cup! You were aching to put yourself forward in that Tournament and _**I**_ was the one that stopped you! I was wrong to do that and that makes me no better than the Headmaster. If there's a way to salvage anything from this then we have to do it. Your parents may hate me when they find out about us, but it will be much worse if we carry on like this and you don't finish at Hogwarts where you belong! You only did all this because it was the only option I gave you by leaving!'

'They'd never allow it… _She'll_ never allow it!' Cedric bellowed pointing at McGonagall.

'You will hold your tongue, Mr. Diggory!' Minerva said unflinchingly. 'You threw your toys out the pram and took off without actually hearing what I had to say!'

'There are options that we haven't even considered, and you don't have that much time left at school anyway. Your certificates should be from Hogwarts, not the Da Vinci School. I'm sure your parents would love to have you home again with the Holidays coming up. Just as well that bloody house fell through and I put off doing anything to this place.'

'What about your job and your friends? What about the good life that you _**do**_ have here Jessica!'

'We'll always have Venice, Cedric. But I also don't want to spend my life looking over my shoulder. If we settle down here, let it be because we're not hiding and running away from people's disapproval. It never occurred to either of us that someone that we know might stumble across us. Lucius Malfoy could have found us instead of Minerva and Liam. We've been really lucky all things considered.'

Cedric cradled his head in his hands and sniffed back tears.

'It doesn't mean ye'll lose her laddie,' Liam said gently as he placed a fatherly hand on the younger man's shoulder and looked pointedly at Jessica. 'Quite the opposite. If ye love her as much as we know ye do then stand beside her – and treasure the days ye have together. Ye've got my word as Chieftan of the Clan McKenzie that you and any child of yours will always have a place with us. It's dark times ahead for the whole of the world, and not even the magical community here will be left entirely untouched. The DaVinci School will have its own peculiar set of problems and we'll all need to pull together. For the time being Jessica's place is in Scotland – and so is yours. It's taken all this for her to accept it. She needs you now more than ever.'

'I have a house, just a little starter, outside Inverness…a little hamlet about 15 miles or so.'

''It seems your Christian God does move her hands in mysterious ways, Sister…' Liam said thoughtfully. '_Inverness_… t'is McKenzie land, that. You'll do alright there.'

'It… what?' Cedric mumbled. 'But… how?'

'It is not for me to be questioning, me lad. But it will be easier on you both and you'll have the whole of the clan to help ye the way they did Minerva and I all those years ago.'

Liam told the Hufflepuff what he didn't know about he and Professor McGonagall.

'I… I don't know what to say,' Cedric murmured, feeling quite ashamed at how he'd run off.

'I know what you're feeling there, Cedric, that's why I've said what I have to ye.'

'Is there no place that will untouched by… You-Know-Who?'

Liam shook his head ruefully.

'I wish I could say that there was a Happily Ever After for some parts of the world – but no there isn't…'

For the first time, Cedric began to wonder what the implications would be for him and Jessica.


	35. The Long Way Home

**Plot, new characters, new magical terms and abilities etc. are my intellectual property. If you want to borrow then please kindly ask. JK Rowling's characters and Wizarding Universe are all uniquely hers.**

**Summary: AU: What if everything we ever read in JK Rowling's books was real – including the people characterised? What would you do if you found yourself caught up in that reality knowing what was to come? SSnape, CDiggory, OFC**

_**Authors Note:**__**It has been mentioned in the story but now I am noting it here. I am a fan of Diana Gabaldon's 'Outlander'/'Cross Stitch' series and definitely was influenced by that in writing this story – i.e. the Standing Stones and traveling through time. But I also love Philip Pullman's 'His Dark Materials' series and the tv programme 'Sliders' and the alternate universes alongside ours idea comes from there no doubt.**_

_**CHAPTER NOTES: Yes I have been gone for quite some time. Unfortunately I had some very real-life problems to grapple with. But I will finish this and all my other stories. And more will be revealed about the clans in time…**_

**Fantasy/Drama**

**This story is rated R/M.**

**ENIGMA**

**Chapter 035: The Long Way Home**

There was a tense silence after Minerva and Liam left for their hotel. The storm had grown intense and they used that as an excuse to give Cedric and Jessica some space. Jessica turned her attention to Hedwig. She heated some towels and then cut up some steak into thin slices. Cedric watched pensively as she tended the ailing creature. The grateful owl nipped her arm affectionately and hooted mournfully as she let Jessica baby her.

'Poor Wiggy – I'm sorry you've been out in so much mess because of me.' Jessica said softly.

'That's an awful long way for her to come,' Cedric murmured. 'I guess he really is hurting for you…'

Jessica didn't reply as he wrapped his arms around her from behind.

'I wanted to believe...' he began.

'I know, love; so did I…' Jessica said hoarsely as she placed a hand on his. 'We were kidding ourselves…'

'Yeah… we were…'

Cedric took the bottle of tonic that Jessica was holding and began to wipe Hedwig down with the cloth

'I've missed home,' he admitted. 'It may not be perfect, but it is home. You were right – I do have a lot to be thankful for; and as long as we're together…that's what counts.'

'I'll talk to Giuseppe tomorrow…'

'He's going to be so upset…they all are. You did have a sort of family here…'

'I know,' Jessica said as she hiccupped and burst into tears.

**xxxOOOxxx**

'When do you want to leave?' Cedric asked as they cuddled together in bed. Their lovemaking had been unbelievably intense… as though their days together were numbered and the clock was ticking fast. When they finally could bear to stop the sun was beginning to peek over the horizon.

'We can leave with Minerva and Liam…'

'As soon as that…'

'The last bit of the term before Christmas will start soon won't it? And then there's the Holiday break for that and New Years…'

'Please come back to Hogwarts…_please_…'

'We'll see, darling. I don't know that it's possible. It's all down to Dumbledore. He won't be too pleased.'

'He needs you too much to say 'no', Cedric replied through a yawn.

'Let me sort out things here first and let us get home before I start going down that road…'

Cedric nodded as he pulled Jessica tightly into his arms and rested his chin on the top of her head. A few minutes later there was the faint snoring that told her he was fast asleep.

She wasn't sure what she was going to tell Giuseppe, but she would do it later that day. The sooner she got it over with the better.

**xxxOOOxxx**

'So, Cara, I was wondering when you would come to see me. I just didn't expect that it would be so soon.'

Jessica's mouth fell open in amazement and she struggled to regain her composure.

'Marta works fast…'

'To have your past catch up with you as you have done – I would have been surprised by anything else. You have come to say goodbye, haven't you?'

The young woman burst into tears. 'I'm so sorry Giuseppe… It's… complicated… I know you invested a lot in me and now I'm letting you down.'

'You are needed in Scotland, Cara, you always were. Remember what I told you – not every Partner remains in Venice…

Jessica's lips formed a small 'o'.

'What are you saying?' she asked after finding her voice.

'You have a wonderful gift, Daughter. Don't let it waste away. Even in the British Isles they love the ancient arts of Venice and Murano.'

'A workshop?'

'Well unless you want to go back to Hogwarts…?'

Jessica flew up out of her seat and raced for the door to Giuseppe's office.

'Cara calm down! Let me explain!'

'Who the hell are you!' Jessica bellowed as she drew her wand. 'What the hell is going on?

'The day your Cedric came to us he was wearing a Quidditch scarf and gloves. I'd recognise them anywhere… They had the emblem of his school House. He's English and a student and at the school where you said you were a Librarian and your liaison began. He's been making enquiries and I know he's visited our equivalent of the famous Diagon Alley. He was looking at transferring to the Da Vinci School I believe… There really isn't anything else for him here if he was to remain with you… Somehow I don't think that being an Artisan of the Venetian crafts is for him.'

'I don't believe it… After all this… _even now he's interfering!_'

'What? Who?'

'Dumbledore that's who!' Jessica laughed maniacally. 'Just who the hell are you anyway!'

'I am exactly what you believe me to be, Cara. I am a wizard; an old wizard that has seen far too much.'

'And you're working for Dumbledore…!'

'I am doing no such thing; although I do believe he's, in principle, a decent enough man. He's certainly no Grindewald or Lord Voldemort. However, I do believe there was a lot more between he and Grindewald than either ever let on. I am that old!'

'_Jesus H. Christ.'_

'Sit down, please Cara. Let me talk to you before you go back to that metaphysical terrorist.'

'I don't understand it Giuseppe… Why didn't you say something before?'

'Say what exactly? Would it have made any difference? If anything you and your young man would have taken off for God knows where. Someone needed to look after you and thank God it was me! But at least now you see that the wizarding community outside of the British Isles is very different. We on the Continent have survived and thrived by blending into the population. We don't separate ourselves and cling to outmoded ways of doing things. British wizards stick out like a sore thumb wherever they go because they don't think and they are stuck with an antiquated lifestyle. Your Cedric is a nice young man and I have no doubt that his intentions are good – but he was foolish enough to make a slip like wearing a wizarding scarf and gloves. If the wrong person had seen him about like that…'

The old wizard shook his head sadly.

'The wrong person…?'

'Cara it is _not_ entirely safe here. I know that you and your Cedric wanted to believe that but really it is not. What threatens one of us threatens all of us. You can run but you cannot hide! Lord Voldemort has connections all over the Continent and there were families who lost everything by siding with Dumbledore in that last war of his. The Da Vinci School has such small numbers because many Italian wizarding families think that Durmstrang has the right ideas about wizardkind and Dark Magic! They also believe, as I do, that Lord Voldemort will return. For them they are as the Americans say 'hedging their bets.' For Da Vinci, having a Hogwarts student leave such an elite institution as that for our little backwater – it would be a major coup for them! The Tri-Wizard Tournament is only ever about the top three wizarding schools – not those like Da Vinci. It would be a step down, a serious step down for your Cedric to come here! Surely you can understand that?'

'Italians at Durstrang? I thought they were all Eastern European… So Liam was right?'

'_And the books never said anything about that!'_ Jessica thought to herself.

'This is the Continent Cara, we mix it up here in our schools. Hogwarts is very provincial – only ever taking students from the British Isles as you well know. There are many of us who would have given anything to be able to study under the tutelage of the Greatest Wizards of the Age and then perhaps work for your Ministry of Magic or even teach. Oh the British would say that we are no better than _'Muggles' _earning our living this way – but these are the arts of the Veneto and it does not matter if one is a magical or not. We don't have such a grand infrastructure as you have in Britain. Our government, such as it is, is very small. If it downsizes or even collapses – my capacity to earn a living does not change. The British, on the other hand, the majority of them work for your Ministry in one capacity or another… they loose everything. And the opportunity to teach at the elite schools does not come up that often. Most professors and teaching assistants have their roles for life or until they decide to leave and do something else. With so few guarantees these days – naturally most of them stick with the job for life even if they don't particularly like it. I am a Da Vinci graduate myself – and the best opportunity I had was to follow in the traditions of my family. There is no shame in it.'

'I never thought about that…' Jessica said quietly. 'Don't get me wrong – I have thought about many things, but not that…'

'Liam McKenzie. When Marta told me his name… well that was it. I knew then exactly who you all were. I did one of his father's dearest friends a great favour in the last war… I gave the man's eldest son sanctuary here from Voldemort's followers. The man wouldn't be contained in Scotland and sometimes he's a danger to himself. His first wife and children paid for his hot-headedness with their lives because he was careless and arrogant. He's lucky to still be alive!'

'You what? Who..?'

'Oh you've met him. It's Matteo!'

'Matteo??!!! He sits at his bench up here out of sight and doesn't say 'boo' to a goose! He's so… geeky and quiet! He's a bloody _Highlander_???!!!'

'See; you had no idea until I revealed it to you! I gave Matteo a home, taught him everything I know. We gave him a whole new identity. He's got a good enough life here but he's not happy. He's Scottish, a Highlander – that's his true element. You know why he doesn't drink? He loses control then and the carefully contained Italiano and Mediterranean manners drop like a ten-tonne stone in the lagoon! But he's always watching – looking over his back. He saw Cedric upstairs and noticed the scarf and gloves too. It frightened him, let me tell you. I had to do a lot of talking to convince him not do something foolish like go on the run without any planning. He would get himself killed long before war really breaks out. He doesn't think and he can be very reckless. My work with him has not been easy. Fortunately he values being alive so in the end I've been able to force him to settle down.'

'You say Voldemort's name… why is that?' Jessica asked, ignoring his pointed remarks.

'He is evil, pure evil and yes he is very powerful; but I think that it gives him more power than he really has for us to be so afraid that we can't even say his name. It makes a monster even more of a monster, if you catch my drift?'

'Yes, yes I do,' Jessica replied wearily.

'Ours is a small community of magicals here, Cara. People _**do**_ talk. Cedric spoke to enough people when he was exploring our little community so that it was easy to put two and two together. Like I said – a Hogwarts student leaving such a prestigious school for our little backwater is quite a big deal.'

'Merlin's beard! Word could have easily gotten back to…'

'I'm sure that what you haven't told me is just as interesting as what you have… but I don't think that the news has travelled back to your British Isles. It's not a done deal yet, Cedric hasn't committed to anything.'

At this Jessica's face became a stony mask. There was nothing else she was prepared to say. Giuseppe had her at a distinct disadvantage. He seemed to know a lot more about her than she knew about him, his stunning admissions notwithstanding.

'No one that Cedric talked to conveniently mentioned who and what you are to him…' she said accusingly.

'Why should they? Neither I nor my shop was a topic of conversation and why should it be? He made it known that he was going to transfer here and made enquiries about the sort of opportunities that might be open to him once he finished. As I've told you, there aren't many doors open to someone like him and he needs to work on being a proper Muggle. He's blended in better than most, I will give him that. But you – you are different and we both know it. You didn't grow up in that world. Your parents did very well with you. I had no idea that you were a magical until your Cedric turned up.'

'Cedric, God Almighty _Cedric!_' Jessica moaned.

'You always have a home here if you need it Jessica and I will always come if you need me, so would Ines and the others,' Giuseppe said firmly. 'I follow events from other wizarding communities; the smart magical would do. Something is coming – and to be honest I think you are safer with the likes of Liam McKenzie. The Highland Clans… they are the reason me and my family were safe the last time and they are the reason why we have always been safe since then. Their protection and guidance is not something to ever take lightly. Promise me you will never do something so foolish as to run off as you have done ever again!'

'I suppose you should meet Liam – that is if you haven't already met,' Jessica sniffed suspiciously.

'It would be my great pleasure... '

'Jessica, please Cara! I know how stubborn you can be! Sometimes it pains you that someone else has all the answers and not you! Please promise me that there isn't going to be a next time with you like this!'

Jessica fleetingly thought about the Stones. If she were to ever run again it would likely be to try and get back to her world… except there was nothing for her there except life in prison if she even managed to make it back. Voldemort's tentacles stretched very far indeed in this world… just like Hitler's had in War War II.

A thought occurred to her, but rather than give voice to it she vowed to do a bit of research when she was back in Scotland. With any luck she would find the answers she was looking for without having to return _there_, her true home here in America in this world.

'I can promise you that I will never act again as I have…' she said with a firm nod.

'Good! Now if your Mr. McKenzie would allow it I would love to meet him!'

'_Giuseppe Ormessini – yet another clever wizard that doesn't think quite as much as they think they do,'_ Jessica muttered to herself as she left Ca'Macana and headed for home.

**xxxOOOxxx**

'Why didn't you say something Liam?' Jessica demanded, red with rage. 'How could you let me tell you I was working at Ca'Macana and not say a word?'

'Hold your Hippogriffs there lass! If I had told ye, what difference would it have made eh? Ye'd go flying off the handle and do something daft as sure as I'm sitting here!'

'Merlin help me, Giuseppe said the same thing…'

'And he'd be dead right he would! Yes, he _**is **_as clever as he makes himself out to be but he's nobody's fool and nowhere near arrogant!'

'So all this time I've been manipulated! You hypocrite – you're just as bad as Dumbledore!'

'Jessica I swear to you by all this is righteous and holy that I have done no such thing! I tried everything I thought of to try and find you to see if how you were! I know that Venice agrees with ye and ye have the great talent for the arts – and yes I do think your place is with your family! Your place is with the Clan McKenzie but I'm not about to force your will! Is that what ye think of me – after all this?'

Jessica frumped down on the sofa and began to weep. Cedric sat down next to her and pulled her into his arms.

'If you tell me that you have nothing to do with this, I will take your word as a man of honour, Mr. McKenzie,' the Hufflepuff said respectfully. 'I know that for a Highlander a man's word is everything.'

'I do solemnly swear, Cedric. I would never, _ever_, manipulate anyone that way! I have not come forward with all that I've divined, that is true. But ye understand why it was necessary.'

'I do,' Cedric said hoarsely as he held Jessica and rubbed her back. She was inconsolable at the thought that somehow she'd been a pawn in a very dangerous game. Trust was something she struggled with and her lack of trust meant that she didn't always do what was best for her own sake.

'You know the Law, Cedric. You know it and should understand it far better than Jessica. Please explain it to her fully…'

'Jess,' Cedric said gently as he lifted her tear-streaked face up and smoothed her hair back. 'Look at me, please.'

Jessica screwed up her face tightly and tried to stop crying but it was no use. Cedric took her back into his arms and began to speak.

'As you know The Law basically says that _only those things that are meant to be can happen_. Bottom line: _if it's meant to be it will be_. With magic it's three-fold, the efficacy of spell-casting depends on (1) the intentions of the spell-caster, (2) the nature of the spell itself and (3) the will of the person it's cast on. For example…say you wanted to cast a love spell on someone. _But_, they were particularly strong-willed or maybe the don't set store in such things. Perhaps they have no real interest in you whatsoever. The love spell won't work as it's meant to on a person who isn't open to that kind of magical influence. However, _if it does work_ _it will be because something will come out of it that needed to happen. The result of it may in fact have only been attainable through the act of casting the spell._ As for the person casting it or one who involves themselves in such misdeeds, a spell to make a person act against their free will and against Divine will means that there will be a spiritual and magical price to pay. Magic is a part of Spirit and vice-versa. Therefore, anyone using magic to manipulate people or situations, essentially going against what is holy and right to suit their own selfish ends causes a great disruption in the natural order of things. And only someone supremely arrogant would do such a thing even if they tried to justify it in the name of the greater good. Merlin help them if the greater good has nothing to do with it. Most Muggles don't set store in magic to begin with and they are disconnected from Spirit – that's why spell casting for them more often than not does not yield anything but a lot of unnecessary bad luck. For a witch or wizard – well we are magical people. We live it, study it. It is a part of us and we are a part of it. We may not agree with the casting of certain spells, but they will work for us on us just the same; however, it depends – as I said. What was it that you told me about Christian beliefs… that Christ said that you can judge a tree by the fruit it bears? The same applies here: _you can tell a lot about the intentions of magical practices and the practioner by the results of it_.'

Cedric looked up at Liam and Minerva who both nodded their approval and then he continued.

'Understanding that, we can apply it here like this: It seems Mr. McKenzie is blessed with a great gift. So are you – that much is obvious. The gift of true sight is not something to take lightly and one must act responsibly with it. You two are given particular insights, yes, but _it does not mean that you need to do something about everything that comes to you_ _– and_ _it also doesn't mean that it's for anyone else to know_.' Cedric continued. 'This is the thing with a lot of magical people and especially Muggles who try to play around with magic: the knowledge in and of itself is never enough for them; they always have to go off and _do something_ with it. _The smart wizard or witch is discerning; knowing when and when not to act and it should never be personal motivation that motivates action or inaction._

Now, we know that some things are so unforgivable you can end up in Azkaban. There are a lot of magical practices that aren't borne of good intentions, that's a fact. _But when they work, there is a Higher reason for them to do so even if it doesn't make any sense. After all, it is in accordance with Divine will that we have knowledge of these things in the first place. _Mr McKenzie is in a difficult position. He is blessed with gifts many would sell their soul for; he has untold power at his disposal. If he were a different type of man, the sort that didn't care about others as he ought, we wouldn't be having this discussion. But he is given insight for a reason and it seems he makes the best possible decisions that he can for everyone's sake. He knows all too well that he has too much to loose by doing anything other that what is proper, both practically and spiritually.'

'I do believe you have the makings of a mighty fine wizard, Mr. Diggory,' Minerva observed with a penetrating look as she nodded her agreement.

'So it's kind of like the Three-Fold Law that pagans often speak of,' said Jessica. 'Whatever you do magically will come back on you three-fold, for good or ill… What goes around, comes around; it's Karma...'

'Exactly. It's why Dumbledore's actions have had the opposite effect of what _he_ intended, Jessica,' Liam said gravely. 'He _is_ a wizard who _has_ abused sacred knowledge. He truly believes that he is doing the right thing for exceptional reasons. However, there are no exceptional reasons here; just an exceptional young lady who possesses unprecedented knowledge – you. As Cedric has told ye, a different type of person could take what ye know and create a powerbase the likes of which has never been seen. Dumbledore wouldn't be where he is or done the things he's done without marshalling power. It's no disrespect to admit it, but it is the truth. All great people have some semblance of ruthlessness about them when they set their mind to it. Ye could do things the likes of which are inconceivable. But ye do not. _It's people around ye who are tempted by what ye represent_. The Headmaster has weaknesses just like any other man. I believe that in some ways ye are one such weakness. The fight against Lord Voldemort may be a just one, but the envisioned end does not always justify the means to get there. Dumbledore is going to make more mistakes before all is said and done. I just hope the price to be paid is not too high.'

'What about you, Liam.' Jessica asked slowly. 'Have you never been tempted to use me?'

'Liam McKenzie is not one of those people,' Cedric said firmly. 'I'm sure of that if I'm not sure of anything else… Thanks to Professor Dumbledore the very people who would stop at nothing to use what you are, are now aware of you Jessica even if they don't have all the facts. I'm sure I don't have all the facts either, but I do know what Lucius Malfoy is like and I know that he denied a lot of crimes against wizardkind in the last war putting it down to the Imperius. You don't need to divination to know that he has no good intentions, none whatsoever. It's not over with him, not by a long shot.'

'And it certainly won't be if his Lord and Master is on the ascendancy again,' Liam added. 'Yes, I am curious about your world Jessica. But the more of it I hear from ye the more I am grateful for the life I have in my own, however complicated it may seem to ye.'

The Highlander removed a Celtic dagger from his belt and sliced his wrist. 'I swear by my blood and all that is divine in the sight of the Goddess and God that I bear ye no ill will nor have I any negative intentions towards ye. Ye have my sacred vow this day in front of these witnesses as well as the Divine that I will never, ever break the promises I have made to ye nor will I ever use ye. I may be Laird, Sister, but we are equals always.'

Before Jessica could react Liam sliced her wrist and clasped her arm so that their wrists touched. There was a tingling sensation and then a bright gold light surrounded them.

'He can give you no more assurance than that, Jessica,' Cedric said slowly, clearly in awe. 'He would be signing his own death warrant to break that vow. It's a binding magical contract – of the most serious kind…'

'Tell me truly husband,' Minerva asked hesitantly after a moment of contemplative silence. 'Do ye really believe that it's more than just Death Eaters flexing their muscle a bit? Do ye know that You-Know-Who is to return?'

'Why else would Dumbledore take that viper into his bosom as he has done for these many years – and ignore the character of the man and what he did to earn his stripes?' Liam replied sharply.

'As he always says, that is between him and Severus Snape. And he trusts Severus Snape,' Jessica said angrily as she stood up. 'Cedric and I are leaving with you day after tomorrow. There's no point in staying here.'

Jessica went into the kitchen, where they could hear her pottering about as she began to prepare their dinner.

'I better go help her; excuse me please,' Cedric said as he left the room. 'She was already fairly wound up as it is having to send the owl back...'

'Liam,' Minerva whispered after Cedric had disappeared from view, 'I don't think she'll ever recover from…'

'Leave it be, Minerva! We have to leave it be and let it unfold as it must; that is our burden to bear, not hers!'

**xxxOOOxxx**

Giuseppe and Ines came for dinner and brought Elio along. Their son was so upset to be losing the woman who had been like the sister to him and both the Elder Ormessinis despaired of losing the only daughter that they would ever have. But the truth was out, as much of the truth as Jessica, Cedric, Liam and Minerva dared to allow. They still needed to be careful, but at least there was no skirting any reference to the wizarding world any more.

'In the last war the shop was a great cover for all manner of rebellious activities,' Ines said pointedly. 'We carried on with our trade and nobody knew. The biggest worry was Matteo, bless him.'

'I did go along and have a word with him – that was my little walk before dinner,' Liam said. 'He's got a hot head alright and this is the best place for him right now. It wouldn't take much from Lucius Malfoy or Severus Snape to set him off. I've gotten him to agree to another binding.'

'Ahhh the Malfoys – I am ashamed to admit that I made the acquaintance of old Ignatius Malfoy many years ago. It sounds like Lucius is a chip off his grandfather's block. This Snape – I remember reading something about him at the time of the trials; Dumbledore got him exonerated,' said Giuseppe. 'And you say Matteo's been bound again? Good work young man. There's been whispering you know – about that demon of yours coming back to plague us all. It's gotten him quite wound up.'

'Aye that it has and I can't say I blame him. I've faced Voldemort three times myself and I don't doubt that I have the Almighty with me, indeed I do!' Liam said with a shudder.

'Wait – you got him to _agree_ to be bound?' Jessica asked incredulously.

'Of course – did ye not take anything on board that was put to ye earlier?' Liam said, giving Jessica a look like what cabbage patch did she just roll out of.

'I thought the whole thing about binding people is that it's against their will, usually in the interests of the so-called their greater good?'

'The man has given his permission, agreeing fully and without any pressure from me or anyone else, that binding him again is the best thing to do for his own sake as much as for the sake of others. That, dear little sister, is in full agreement with Divine will.'

'But how do you _know_ Liam? We'll be long gone before we're likely to see any fallout from that spell…'

'_Fallout??_ Girl, do ye not know about the different types of bindings there are and how to divine if what ye propose to do is proper and just?'

'Err… Sev… someone tried to tell me about that once but I was a bit… _hormonal_…'

'Merlin Almighty what you don't know would fill half of the Hogwarts Library,' Giuseppe said exasperatedly.

'Giuseppe – behave!' Ines scolded her husband. 'Jessica hasn't had the advantages of being brought up as a proper Witch, remember? Sounds like the progress she's made so far has been very good indeed considering being raised like a 'Muggle'! But yes Jessica dear, you do need to get back to studying that much is obvious. You are in great hands with the Highlanders believe me!'

'Gee – thanks!' Jessica huffed as she banged her glass of wine down on the table, causing the glass to crack.

'See – another hot-head…' Giuseppe pointed out, giving Jessica a look before he repaired it with his wand.

'More like a slow boil, but we'll work on that,' Liam commented.

'I want to go with you!' Elio blurted out.

'Say what?' Jessica coughed.

'I want to go with you! There's no point to me staying here! You can set up the first Ca'Macana workshop in the British Isles and I'll come work for you!' the youngest Ormessini blurted out at last. He'd not said a single word so far and just sat looking forlorn like the world was coming to a swift end.

'She'll return to the Library at Hogwarts and…' Cedric began.

'That is actually not a bad idea, Elio,' Liam said as he leaned back and stroked his chin. 'You could set up a workshop right there in Hogsmeade, Jessica. Then no one would have anything to say about your relationship with Cedric once you return should the truth of it ever come out. As far as anyone else would know, you two got together after you returned, not before. They don't have to like it, but no one could accuse you of any impropriety outright. It would save both of you the torture my Minerva and I went through. And no one could say anything about the fact that Cedric was one of those who gave evidence to the Board of Governors in support of you against Lucius Malfoy!'

'I agree actually. In the beginning it was best for you to remain at Hogwarts where we could protect you and ease you into life in our little world; you had quite an adjustment to make after the British Library,' Minerva said blithely. 'Elio here is a wizard and so is Cedric and given what you've already mastered; there is no need to bind you to the castle any more. We should be able sort out all kinds of enchantments to keep the likes of Lucius Malfoy from your door!'

'Bind? You don't mean…!' Jessica spluttered.

'Aye, that I do. It was Dumbledore's doing not mine,' Minerva snapped 'And we can all see how that worked, can't we…!'

'Bloody Hell!' Cedric gasped. He never would have believed that Albus Dumbledore, the Greatest Wizard of the Age, could get things so incredibly wrong.

'Now ye see, little sister, now ye see what happens when the Law is broken!' Liam said as he took Jessica's hands in his.

Minerva began to speak but Jessica was distracted.

'_The Tournament,' Liam said to her silently in her head so that only she could hear. 'I know that ye have feared it greatly and I know why ye have that fear. It was your curse to come into this world with the awareness ye have, but ye can only let whatever is meant to happen, happen. Try to understand that even just a little? We will be here for ye regardless of the outcome, every step of the way!'_

'_I know, but I'm so bloody scared,' came Jessica's reply in a faint whisper as she realised the implications of returning to Scotland._

Something was asserting itself in her and she was uneasy from the shock of it. Yes, it was yet another Ravenclaw gift she had mastered. It was the same gift that Rowena Ravenclaw had bequeathed to generations of the Clan McKenzie in this world; and Nanticoke in the Otherworld. But Jessica didn't know any of that – not yet.

'_I know ye are, lass; but ye have us to get you through it all.'_

'_All?'_

'_That which is yet to come…'_

'_Is it as bad as all that?'_

No response was needed as Jessica reviewed the events of Books 4, 5 and 6 in her head.

**xxxOOOxxx**

Two days later everyone was packed and on their way back to Scotland. They could have taken a portkey from Venice, but decided that the local wizarding community there had had enough to talk about as it was. Giuseppe started the rumour that someone else had started a rumour that a prize student was leaving Hogwarts for the Da Vinci School. Anything that seems too good to be true inevitably is; and so with a bit of influence from the Ormessinis everyone that had actually met Cedric had no lasting memory of him. No one was sure where any of the rumours came from, but yes it was scandalous to get everyone's hopes up about some unknown Brit (even if people should have known better that to believe such a fairy story as that).

**xxxOOOxxx**

'Venice is mighty beautiful, but it sure feels good to be home,' Liam said with a sigh as he, Minerva, Jessica, Cedric and Elio sat in his and Minerva's large kitchen over hot mugs of tea and scones dripping with melted butter and jam.

They had decided to take it easy their first day or so back. Now it was time to get the ball rolling on the fact that Jessica had returned.

'It really is lovely here,' Elio sighed as he looked out the large windows and drank in the rolling hills. It was beginning to snow and wind had picked up a bit.

'So ye have taken a shining to our fair McKenzie lands have ye laddie?' Liam asked, beaming with pride.

'Yes – I can see why you are so happy to be back! The landscape here – she is quite dramatic!'

'So, Cedric; what happened when you spoke to your parents this morning?' asked Jessica. He'd only just returned from his house. He'd insisted on preparing it first; he wanted it to be special for her.

'Nothing out of the ordinary; they were glad I enjoyed my break and hoped I wasn't too lonely in the house all by myself. They haven't actually seen it or even know where I am really. They gave me a bit of money to help me get it. We were going to go over everything and they would come to see it over the Holidays. Dad's tied up at the Ministry right now and Mum has her hands full with that Committee thing of hers…so "_everything is a bit up in the air"_.'

It was hard not to sound resentful, but he was feeling a bit put out that all this time away from his family hadn't motivated anyone to make time for him.

'Nevermind, it works to our advantage, doesn't it?' Cedric said, looking at Jessica and failing to hide his disappointment.

'Come lad, get your woman to her new home and we'll show Elio to his...'

'Aye… I mean yes,' Cedric replied as he blushed. It was hard not to be influenced by this environment.

Everyone donned heavy winter capes and coats and made their way to their respective destinations.

Jessica's breath was taken away as she looked across the gently undulating landscape as she drove the new utility vehicle she purchased upon their return. Soon they were rolling down a rather crooked road through a cluster of buildings that had probably seen better days. Cedric directed Jessica towards a rather homely looking place. It seemed that there wouldn't be much of a view with the house nestled amongst other buildings. The rear garden backed onto to a deserted house. It could have been worse; at least they weren't living in the equivalent to the Shrieking Shack.

'Do you like it?' Cedric asked nervously.

'It's lovely!' Jessica said quickly as she pulled up outside the gate.

'Your car can't stay outdoors in this freezing weather…' Cedric commented. He waved his wand and the cottage adjusted itself to include a garage that wasn't entirely in keeping with the house. 'I knew I had forgotten something…'

He sprinted to the front door and unlocked it. Jessica watched as the lower floor blazed with light and he came jogging back. Before she could comment he lifted her in his arms.

'To hell with waiting for our wedding night!' he grinned.

'You are bonkers!' his girlfriend laughed. 'But I love you; I love you so much Cedric…'

They began to kiss and then pulled away reluctantly. Cedric carried the woman he loved across the threshold and closed the door behind them.

'I'm sorry it's not much…' he began. 'I made some adjustments…'

'It's perfect, love.' Jessica assured him after they walked down a hallway into their sitting room. 'You've done quite alright for yourself.

Cedric gave Jessica the grand tour of the ground floor. The house turned out to be much larger inside than it looked from the outside and she was sure that he'd used magic to alter it. There was an eat-in kitchen that overlooked the rather ghostly house whose garden backed onto theirs. There were a few trees near the house that would help to keep the house cool in the summer. _The summer; if Cedric was even alive then…_

'Please… whatever it is that makes you so sad, don't think of it my love,' he whispered as a rogue tear rolled down Jessica's cheek.

Jessica sniffed and nodded, savouring the warmth of his lips on hers and his arms holding her tight.

'Let's go to bed… please…' she whispered tentatively.

Cedric nodded and they made their way upstairs. There was plenty of time to get acquainted with their home in the time they had left before the first part of the winter term began at Hogwarts.

**xxxOOOxxx**

Cedric and Jessica began to settle in to their new life together. They reviewed everything with Minerva and he was going to have to board at Hogwarts. There were no other options in that regard. He could return to her some weekends, so they could take some solace in that. He was a Prefect, however, and with that went a great deal of responsibility. He wouldn't really be free to be with her until his education was complete.

Whether or not anyone became aware of their situation would be entirely up to them. Jessica and Cedric thought about it and decided that the best thing they could do for themselves was to not make their relationship public. Cedric's parents would have to know eventually, but the fact that they were so occupied with matters other than their son made the decision quite easy where they were concerned.

Jessica was able to take the furniture out of storage that she'd furnished her flat with in Bath. She fleetingly thought that at one time she would have expected to be doing this with Severus. Clearly it was not meant to be. What she and Cedric didn't have in the way of her things they were able to get second-hand. Some things they were able to get, being mindful of budgeting. But the extended McKenzie clan gave them quite a bit as well. 'And when others settle down ye'll be able to do the same in kind. That's how it works,' Liam told them.

They turned their attention to Jessica's new enterprise and looked at the few commercial premises available in Hogsmeade. There was a quaint timber and stone building with a traditional Scottish slate roof that would be perfect for the new Ca'Macana workshop in a lane that ran off the High Street. It turned out that it was being sold by Madame Rosmerta's brother Llewellyn. He was glad to be selling it to someone they knew, someone who would take care of the place and do something good for the town. Liam purchased the property in his name and then sold it on to Jessica. In purchasing the premises from him Jessica had tapped into a considerable part of her savings from Venice and Hogwarts. But at least she could make her way on her own without being beholden to Albus Dumbledore.

She began to feel like her life was hers to lead for a change.

**xxxOOOxxx**

Elio and Jessica settled into getting the workshop ready with gusto with the help of the others. Elio had been worried that the rough-and-ready Highlanders wouldn't take kindly to 'someone like him'. He made the remark to Liam who scolded him soundly. 'D'ye think we don't have gays here laddie? Believe me that'll be the least of your worries! A good looking lad like you will have your fair share to fight off! Just watch out for the Missus – she loves a good handfasting!' Minerva was playing matchmaker between Elio and a strapping McKenzie cousin named Fergal. Fergal was conveniently making himself indispensable in helping to get the workshop ready and there was no doubt in anyone's mind that Elio hadn't wasted any time. It was a welcome distraction in many ways and kept Jessica from obsessing over what was to happen now that they were back in Scotland and Cedric was returning to Hogwarts.

This shop would be much like the the one in Venice. They would craft and sell masks, costumes and glasswares including jewelry. Fergal would be around to help man the till in the main atelier and put his knowledge of Celtic design to use. Jessica planned on including them in their work and this would ensure that a number of their owns offerings were quite unique from those they imported from Italy and those they would market as 'traditional'. Fortunately it didn't take them very long to get everything organised. There was something to be said for magic, Jessica commented as she finally manoeuvred the Ca'Macana sign into place and stepped back to admire it all.

'I don't think I've ever seen you this happy before,' Liam commented. 'It's a great thing to see lass. You are beautiful, but especially when you smile.'

'That she is,' Cedric said beaming as he strolled up to them and put his arms around her from behind.

'How was it?' she asked nervously as she pulled him into the shop and drew the night shutters. Cedric had been contacting some of his friends and met up with a few in London.

'Fine. No one had any idea I'd been abroad and I didn't tell them. As far as they are concerned I spent my holiday in Cornwall preparing for exams and then in London getting some more things for the next term…' Cedric sighed.

'Had there been any talk about Jessica?' Liam asked.

'Not much… the situation with the Tournament is all anyone's talking about. The Delegations from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang have to stay on until everything is resolved; and by all indications it's far from it.'

Jessica didn't reply as she flicked a switch inside the shop. Christmas lights blazed in glorious colours washing over the window displays. It may be a bit soon for them but it still looked nice just the same.

'Focus your mind on the shop and nevermind about that Tournament,' Liam advised her quietly before having one last look around inside and finalising the security charms.

There was no point in worrying about something that one didn't have all the facts about…and things that hadn't actually happened yet.

**xxxOOOxxx**

Because he was already in Scotland it made no sense for Cedric to go back down to London only to come back again. Instead he would Apparate to Hogsmeade. He had known that it would be painful to leave Jessica, but he did not know that it would hurt so much. He found himself memorising every detail about her down to how she felt in his arms when he held her as their time together dwindled down to this last moment. It was time for him to return to Hogwarts.

'I wish you were coming back too…' he said hoarsely as they stood outside in the pouring rain.

'It would just make it even more worse, love, you know that. We wouldn't be able to help ourselves and that would be wrong. At least we have something to look forward to.'

Cedric nodded and swallowed hard.

'I can come to you in Hogsmeade…'

'No unnecessary risks – you insisted…'

Jessica wrapped her arms around him, holding him tight. 'Now go on… I'll be fine,' she admonished him.

'If you need me… for anything… don't hesitate…'

'I will, I promise…'

It was Jessica's turn to memorise. Her fingers lingered over his lips and Cedric kissed them before cupping her face in his hands. Both were thankful it was raining; the beads of moisture washed away their tears.

Jessica took a deep breath and stepped back. Cedric Disapparated with a loud _crack _and she made her way back inside the house, wondering if they had done the right thing.

Only time would tell what the future held for them.


	36. What is meant

**Plot, new characters, new magical terms and abilities etc. are my intellectual property. If you want to borrow then please kindly ask. JK Rowling's characters and Wizarding Universe are all uniquely hers.**

**Summary: AU: What if everything we ever read in JK Rowling's books was real – including the people characterised? What would you do if you found yourself caught up in that reality knowing what was to come? SSnape, CDiggory, OFC**

_**Authors Note:**__**It has been mentioned in the story but now I am noting it here. I am a fan of Diana Gabaldon's 'Outlander'/'Cross Stitch' series and definitely was influenced by that in writing this story – i.e. the Standing Stones and travelling through time. But I also love Philip Pullman's 'His Dark Materials' series and the tv programme 'Sliders' and the alternate universes alongside ours idea comes from there no doubt.**_

_**CHAPTER NOTES: Yes I have been gone for quite some time. Unfortunately I had some very real-life problems to grapple with. But I will finish this and all my other stories. And more will be revealed about the clans in time…**_

**Fantasy/Drama**

**This story is rated R/M.**

**ENIGMA**

**Chapter 036: What is meant…**

Word got around quickly enough that a new shop had opened in Hogsmeade. No one had ever seen anything quite like it, but there was no denying the high quality craftsmanship and uncommon creativity that went into the wares on offer. As far as anyone knew, some Italian wizards were branching out and trying their luck in the British Isles, deeming Hogsmeade more appropriate than Diagon Alley for their first venture. They had the intelligence to hire a couple of the locals and incorporate some of the native traditions into their work. It was a good venture all around and so the latest Ca'Macana workshop found a niche for itself and did a brisk trade since it Christmas was not really that far off.

However, Jessica did not make her presence known, save for Rosmerta and her brother both of whom pledged absolute secrecy. They were Highlanders, after all and had a great understanding of these things. They were good comfort for her and she enjoyed her time with them and Minerva getting the goss. Still, Liam McKenzie had them agree to be bound to silence, just to be safe.

They all encouraged Jessica to start getting out and about, but some unknown instinct prompted her to hold back.

The circumstances were not quite right yet.

**xxxOOOxxx**

'I had hoped there would be some word by now, something,' Dumbledore sighed as he looked across his desk at Liam and Minerva, both of whom remained as inscrutable as ever. They were not skilled Occlumens, but they did have an arsenal of Highlander charms at their disposal to keep the Headmaster at bay.

It may be cruel what they were putting the aged wizard through, but Jessica was their priority. Before either could reply, the doors to his office swung open and Professor Flitwick flew in, nearly overturning the perch on which Dumbledore's phoenix had been slumbering. He was followed by Professors Sprout and Snape.

'Professor?' McGonagall snapped as she peered over her glasses at the diminutive wizard now rolling across the floor like an errant bowling ball,' What in the name of Merlin is going on?!'

'Come quicky – it's the Goblet! The Goblet of Fire has only gone and relit itself! AND IT'S CALLING FOR YOU HEADMASTER!'

Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall and Liam McKenzie went white with shock.

'Bagman and Crouch…' Dumbledore began.

'Already summoned… by the Goblet!' Sprout swooned.

'Oh my heavens!' Minerva rasped.

'Gather the students and the delegations,' Dumbledore ordered. 'It would seem that the Tournament is to take place after all…'

There was no comment from Snape, only the cold icy silence of his unvoiced accusations. He was certain that the Headmistress and her husband were hiding something. He had no doubt that given the formidable skills and power of the Highlanders they had to know a great deal more about Jessica and her whereabouts than they wanted people to believe. The Headmaster must be barking mad not to push as he ought.

Professor Snape was determined to find out for himself what secrets they were hiding.

**xxxOOOxxx**

The students, staff and assembled guests gathered in the Great Hall in a tense silence. The Goblet had no mouth with which to speak, and yet everyone innately understood that it was communicating. That which had been so terribly wrong must now be put right. Every student aged 17 and over was to submit their name for consideration as a Champion for their respective school. But this time it was not optional.

It was a direct order.

From the Goblet of Fire itself.

The students who had no intention of putting themselves forward protested vehemently, but the Headmaster did his best to reassure them that the Goblet would not choose anyone not up to the demands of the tasks. They had one week to submit their names. In seven days' time everyone would reconvene in the Great Hall where the Goblet would reveal its choices.

'Have you ever heard of such a thing before, Husband?' Minerva whispered to Liam, who was there in his capacity as a School Governor. Their faces mirrored the tensions of the room as Dumbledore spelled out the rules of the Tournament yet again. There were no woops of delight from the assembled, only a stony, fearful silence.

'I can't say that I have. But it would seem that the Goblet is guaranteeing that the grave injustice from the last Choosing of the Champions does not happen again. It has the prerogative and it is exercising it. This is unprecedented…'

'And Dumbledore…?'

'It's not because of Dumbledore, my dear; not this time…'

And that was all Liam would say on the matter.

**xxxOOOxxx**

If Cedric had any high hopes that he would be able to see Jessica right away he found that he'd been greatly mistaken. This situation with the Tournament meant that the Prefects were pressed into service keeping an eye on the students from their Houses. Too many underage students were eager to try their hand at getting past the age line drawn around the cup, Fred and George Weasley especially. The castle was a hive of activity now that the Tournament was officially underway.

Cedric thought about every conversation he and Jessica had had. He loved her so much and there was nothing he wouldn't do for her. He knew that she had been against him submitting his name before. But she seemed to have reconciled herself with it before the left Venice. It would be a great honour to represent Hogwarts and perhaps his father would make time for him if he were chosen. Jessica would be so proud of him, he knew she would. The money that he could win if he were Tournament Champion would go a long way in guaranteeing a comfortable life for them.

With his housemates egging him on, a beaming but slightly embarrassed Cedric Diggory submitted his name of his own free will.

The Goblet crackled faintly with bright sparks, as though it approved.

**xxxOOOxxx**

The news about the Tournament was all anyone could talk about. Jessica was grateful she had her work at the shop to distract her, but she still would not reveal her presence to anyone. She waited anxiously for news from Minerva about the results.

She had been alarmed as everyone else that the Goblet had demanded that all eligible students put themselves forward for consideration. There was no real choice in the matter. And it was her fault, she was certain of it. The missing link was Cedric and the Prodigal Son had returned to the fold.

She was aching to see him, but all she could do was wait.

**xxxOOOxxx**

'Ladies and gentlemen,' Dumbledore intoned in gravely tones. 'I don't need to remind you again of the prestige in representing your school. Fame, honour and eternal glory awaits the one who is overall Tri-Wizard Champion. If your name is called you will approach the Goblet, bow and then go down these stairs following the corridor to the room at the end. We will gather for photos and a brief conference with the Prophet. However I will not be derelict in my duty. Participation in this tournament is not to be taken lightly. Many have lost their lives on this sacred quest. You are bound by sacred covenants, submission of your name constituted a binding magical contract. You are obligated to follow through at all costs. There is no turning back.'

Excitement began to take hold now and dozens of heads whipped forward, most desperate to be chosen as they ooed and ahhed about being featured in the newspaper.

And now – LET THE SELECTION OF CHAMPIONS BEGIN!'

Dumbledore gestured towards the Goblet.

There was a moment of rumbling and then bright blue flames shot out of the Goblet and a singed piece of parchment along with it.

'Representing Beauxbatons Academy – _Miss Fleur Delacour_!'

There was a triumphant cheer that went up from the prestigious French wizarding school, as though it was an absolute certainty that their Champion would triumph overall. The young lady glided towards the Headmaster, clearly convinced of her own supreme brilliance as she approached the Goblet and gave a slight curtsey. She turned back around and regarded the students of Hogwarts and Durmstrang haughtily. Dumbledore gave her a look and then shooed her down the stairs along with her school head Madame Maxine.

There was more rumbling and then greyish flames shot of the Goblet and again a singed piece of parchment flew into Dumbledore's fingers.

'Representing Durmstrang School – _Mr. Viktor Krum_!'

'Harrumph!' Karkaroff cried triumphantly as the Durmstrang delegation roared, He stalked up to the Goblet as though he himself had been chosen, the actual Durmstrang Champion trailing in his wake.

'It is not your place, Igor!' Dumbledore said dangerously as he gestured for the man to move aside.

Karkaroff looked as though he was ready to spit nails, but moved back nonetheless.

Krum strode up to the Goblet, gave a respectful bow and then followed his Headmaster down to the room where a cacophony of flashes went off as he entered.

The Great Hell fell silent. This was it; the last Champion… _the Hogwarts Champion_.

There was a low rumbling replete with bright sparks. Bright Yellow flames wooshed up high out of the Goblet causing everyone to gasp. A thin, ragged singed piece of parchment flitted down into Dumbledore's outstretched fingers.

'And now – representing Hogwarts – it is my great pleasure to give to you – _CEDRIC DIGGORY_!'

There was an almighty triumphant roar that boomed through the rafters. Cedric was hauled to his feet by the ecstatic Hufflepuffs. Cho Chang rushed forward and tried to kiss him on the cheek only to be rebuffed. Embarrassed by her foolishness, a slightly red Cedric Diggory walked purposefully towards the cup, made a low bow and then shook Dumbledore's hand.

'Congratulations my son – this way if you please,' Dumbledore said beaming with pride as he cuffed Cedric on the shoulder and then gestured towards the stairs.

Minerva and Liam clapped and cheered and Jessica's worriment was temporarily forgotten as they revelled in the fact that Hogwarts had a mighty fine Champion. The school might actually win the tournament for a change. It would be the first time since Flitwick had taken home the honours 200 years ago.

Snape, standing near the stairs, looked at the cup curiously. It was sparking madly and began to rumble again.

'_Headmaster…'_ he rasped as he stepped towards the Goblet.

The merry-making in the room stopped as the word went around that something was happening. Dumbledore stepped away from Cedric and looked up at the now flaming Goblet. There was an almost sonic BOOM followed by a hiss of bright red flames. A lone singed piece of parchment wafted down into Snape's outstretched fingers. The room watched aghast as the Potions Master's complexion turned the colour of sour milk.

Dumbledore took the slip of paper from Snape's outstretched hand.

'Potter…' Dumbledore mumbled at first, not believing what he was seeing.

'Harry Potter!'

'_What?', 'What's he playing at?', 'Come on, joke's over!'_ students shouted.

'HARRY POTTER – UP HERE! NOW!' Dumbledore roared.

'I.. I didn't do it!' Harry said to Hermione as she pushed him up from his seat and then pushed him forward. 'I swear I didn't do it!'

'Nice one – _mate_!' Ron grumbled as he sank back on his seat sullenly.

Harry walked hesitantly towards Dumbledore and the Goblet of Fire. Snape looked at him with the deepest of loathing and sniffed as though something rank polluted the air in the room.

'I swear I didn't do it!' Harry stammered.

'I cannot help you now, Harry,' Dumbledore said gravely. 'You must compete. The Goblet has chosen you.'

'_Bow Potter, or are you arrogant and insolent that you consider yourself to above it!'_ Snape snapped.

When there no admonishment of the Potions Master forthcoming from the Headmaster, Harry knew he was in trouble.

The Boy Who Lived bowed shakily and looked up at Dumbledore.

'Go,' Dumbledore said dejectedly as he jerked his head towards the stairs.

It was completely unlike the reception he'd had for Cedric Diggory and Harry immediately felt resentful.

The Great Hall erupted in shouts and catcalls. Fights were breaking out between the Hogwarts students between the Houses and with students from the foreign delegations. Liam McKenzie stepped in along with the other Governors and staff to break things up. Dumbledore and the four Heads of House followed Harry Potter down the stairs and into the room where the other Champions and the press were waiting.

The slip of paper was put through any number of tests by Barty Crouch. It was made clear that by all appearances it was legitimate and that Potter was bound to compete. His name had been accepted by the Goblet and he was chosen. Regardless of how it happened or why, Harry Potter was Hogwarts Champion – along with Cedric Diggory.

After the press conference all Hogwarts students were sent back to their Houses for the rest of the night and the delegations returned to their respective quarters on the grounds. As Liam prepared to leave for home (Minerva was obligated to remain at the school) he began to wonder for the first time about what Jessica had told him.

Was it true?

Was this Tournament going to be the Death of Cedric Diggory?

**xxxOOOxxx**

Jessica was at home staring blankly at the Early Morning edition of the Daily Prophet that Liam had left behind. He wanted to talk to her himself, he didn't want her to find out on her own. She could not be consoled though. She looked at the picture of a faintly smiling Cedric and clearly bewildered Harry. Hogwarts had two Champions and there were accusations of cheating. Many felt that Dumbledore was behind it all.

After all this, it was true. Cedric had been meant to be Champion. And Harry, poor Harry – he was stitched up and the Goblet hoodwinked to accept his name. Jessica had been the reason that everything went so horribly wrong before, but Dumbledore had played a part in that as well with all the business with Harry and the World Cup.

She sat at her kitchen table and continued to stare at the photograph of Cedric and Harry.

**xxxOOOxxx**

It wasn't enough to compete in the Tournament, the Champions were also to take centre stage at the Yule Ball, a tradition associated with the Tournament that Hogwarts was obligated to sponsor. There was much speculation about who would go with whom.

Marietta had been working overtime to stoke the flames with Cho about Cedric.

'I so totally wouldn't let anyone disrespect me like that!' she barked. 'Who does he think he is anyway?'

'What's your problem? It wasn't you that he knocked back in front of the whole school!' Cho said angrily. 'It's me that he did it to – not you!'

'In front of all those people from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang too… and he just _ignores_ you!'

There was nothing but a frosty silence as the two girls continued to look through the racks at _Fran's Frocks for the Fashionable Fae_ in Hogsmeade.

'There's more than one way to skin a cat,' Marietta said slyly as she pulled out a hideously gaudy gown the colour of cat sick and twirled this way and that with it held up to her in front of a double set of mirrors.

'What are you on about now?'

'All I'm saying is nothing you try works with him. He's probably still got the hots for that old bitch and she's not even here anymore, thank Merlin! So just handle it the old-fashioned way…'

Cho looked at her quizzically and Marietta rolled her eyes.

'Do you want him or don't you?' she hissed quietly as she pushed Cho towards the back room of the shop.

'Can I do something for you ladies?' said the smirking young witch manning the counter.

'We want… _a love potion_ if you would be so kind…' Marietta answered with a grin. 'The best you've got!'

It never occurred to Cho to wonder why Marietta was so keen to hook her up with a guy she thought was a _'simple-minded arsewipe'_.

**xxxOOOxxx**

Cedric had barely made it in the front door before he was leading Jessica up to their bed. He had been like this every time he managed to find time to come see her. On the one hand she should be grateful, she supposed. But on the other it just seemed so… _odd_…

'Oh God I need to be inside you!' he moaned as he unleashed his thickness and then pushed hard inside her. He covered her mouth with his and began to thrust deeply. Jessica cried out in response as he found that blessed spot deep inside her and hit it over and over again, sending wave after wave a pleasure through her. She wanted to beg him not to leave her, to stay here and be with her always. But it was no use. It was too late. And she couldn't tell him, not a word of it.

The Hufflepuff rained kisses down on her face and tasted the saltiness of her tears.

'Don't,' he whispered hoarsely. 'Please don't – not that again!'

Jessica wrapped her legs around his back and clung to him as their bodies thrashed against each other violently. Cedric had let go, he had truly let go and it was almost frightening in its intensity. She still wasn't used to this Cedric. Passion was one thing, but this was something else. He pounded her relentlessly and she met his thrusts with a ferocity of her own. Cedric closed his eyes tightly…and Cho Chang's face swam before his eyes.

_He looked down and it was Cho naked and bucking wild beneath him. He flipped over onto his back and it was Cho riding him hard begging him for more. Her skin was so luminous and soft, her breasts pert and firm… She was young and beautiful, perfect in every way for him. She was what a Champion deserved._ _'You want this' her voice whispered in his ear. 'You have always wanted this!' she purred as she stroked her nipples and then ran fingers through her dark curls below. 'Say my name, Cedric! Say it! Say it Tell me how much you want me! Say it! Say it!'_

'CHO!' Cedric roared as he orgasmed deep and hard inside Jessica. 'Oh my God, Cho!'

Jessica looked down at Cedric, unable to move.

'No…' she whispered. 'No…'

Cedric was convulsing beneath her, panting Cho's name breathlessly, shouting how much he wanted her, what he wanted to do to her… and how much he really did love her all this time.

'No, no…NO!' Jessica roared. 'You bastard! You lying, stinking, cheating bastard!'

She jumped off of the young man she would have given her life for and raced to their bathroom, sobbing uncontrollably.

**xxxOOOxxx**

Jessica lost track of how much time had to have passed as she with her head over the toilet bowl. She was sick, she was absolutely sick with grief. Cedric…_Cedric_… how…? Why?

'I can't fucking stay in here forever!' she sniffed.

She stood up shakily and stomped her feet to get some feeling back into her legs. She looked in the mirror. Her face was splotchy and her eyes bloodshot. She was a mess, an absolute mess. Jessica blew her nose and then washed her face. She brushed her teeth and then smoothed her hair. There – that was better.

'Cedric we need to talk about what…' she began as she opened the door to their bedroom.

The sun was just peeking over the horizon.

'…just happened…' she finished hoarsely as she walked around the empty room.

Jessica looked in the other two bedrooms, calling out his name. But there were only the empty rooms, still needing to be furnished. She made her way downstairs to nothing but emptiness.

As the day dawned, Jessica Newkirk packed up what she could bear to take with her and left Cedric's house, fairly certain she would never see it again.

**xxxOOOxxx**

'_I'll kill him!'_ Liam roared. _'I'll fucking kill the little gobshyte!'_

'Liam for heavens sake calm down!' This isn't going to help!' Minerva said flying to his side and laying a restraining hand on his.

'Just leave it Liam, please!' Jessica sobbed. She'd waited a while before telling them what happened. She'd been forced into it really because Elio had blown his stack and was threatening to call Cedric out. Liam and Minerva came to the shop to find that Elio had told them the truth: Jessica had been sleeping there for several weeks and had hidden her 4x4 some distance from Hogsmeade where it would not be detected, crammed as it was with all her worldly goods.

'I don't understand it! I absolutely DO NOT understand it!' Liam roared. 'He must have a fucking death wish if thinks that he can treat a McKenzie this way!'

'Well he's thinking with the wrong piece of equipment that much is clear!' Minerva snapped. 'But ye knew that there was always the possibility that once he became Champion his head could be turned a bit! And he isn't the worst by far – why old Flitwick was a right pain in the sphincter back in his day!'

'But I _never_ would have thought him capable of it my love! No matter what acknowledgements have come my way I've got my first time to ever even THINK of doing something so…_ low_… so _despicable_!' Liam howled.

'What's he like…' Jessica whispered. 'What's he like…_ there_?'

Minerva looked so helpless it broke Liam's heart… and Jessica's.

'He acts as though nothing untoward has happened', the Deputy Headmistress answered quietly.

'…and when he sees you?'

'"_Hello Professor" _and that's about it. I haven't tried to…'

'…and with her? What's he like with her?'

Professor McGonagall swallowed hard and wrung her hands. 'He appears to be… a bit… _infatuated_… with Miss Chang…I guess?' her voice rose in timbre as she finished what she needed to say. Somehow it didn't seem…right…

Jessica sniffed and nodded slowly as her eyes began to well up.

'They are attending the Ball together. He asked her directly as I understand it.' Minerva added as gently as she could. 'They are… _intimate_… if I am to believe the rumours…'

'I see…' Jessica said in a small voice.

There was an uneasy silence.

'Ye have a home with us your kin, Sister,' Liam said purposefully. 'Cedric Diggory is no longer a part of us. I declare it as Laird and it is so. He did not take yer hand in a fasting nor did he promise himself to ye. We leave him to himself; it's ye that concern us only. Ye ought to return home where ye belong. There is no shame in it.'

'Will ye consider it, Jessica?' Minerva asked as she wrapped her arms around the younger woman and held her close.

'Mmm hmmm,' came a muffled reply. 'I want to go home…'

Professor McGonagall helped Jessica to stand up and Liam stood on her other side.

With a loud CRACK they left the shop and returned to the Loch.

**xxxOOOxxx**

Liam had prepared a spacious parcel of land for Jessica's return. There was a lovely house of pale blue-ish grey Highland stone with a slate and thatched roof nestled in a thicket of trees that backed onto woods on the other side of the Loch from he and Minerva. The house enjoyed a fair prospect with its views of the hills and mountains being situated as it was.

It was a great place to make a fresh start, and make a fresh start Jessica would. She had written to Giuseppe and Ines, telling them all that had happened since her less-than-triumphant return. The senior Ormessinis came at once. They stayed with their son and everyone did their best to get Jessica through the grief that consumed her.

'I just DON'T understand it!' Giuseppe hissed in a conspirital talk with Liam as they helped Jessica settle into her new house. Minerva had finally convinced her to get out and about and they went shopping for furniture in Edinbugh. 'He was SO in love with her and he did love her so much! He almost died trying to find her and was willing to throw away everything! I really am finding it hard to believe that he could do such a thing…! If you could have seen more of them in Venice… I'm telling you something isn't right!'

'Believe me 'Seppe I have _**tried**_ to get to the bottom of it, but it seems the Goddess has other ideas! It's just not for us to know categorically whether or not he's got this nasty side to him that's only showing itself now. He's always been a big deal at Hogwarts – but the Tournament and things like it; it can do things to even the best of us. I know it as sure as I'm sitting here. All things being equal I have to assume that he's full of himself now. A day doesn't go by where there isn't some new mention of him in the papers or on the wireless! He always seemed to have his feet on the ground no matter what the fuss and I really believe that he'd be alright… I can't get over this!'

'This _Miss Chang_, I have heard she has had quite a thing for him for a long time...and yet he wasn't interested – until now…'

'My God – kicking Jessica to the slate for THAT?' Liam snorted.

'He's got the girls throwing themselves at him. He can have anyone he wants. It's not even him necessarily, it's what he represents! I always thought he had more sense!'

'I'd expect it from the likes of our Mr. Krum, but not Diggory… never in a million years would I have expected it!'

'But you saw…'

'That's the whole point, 'Seppe – I saw _fragments_, that's all. And believe me those fragments don't add up to much. One minute I was so convinced about Diggory and now… I just don't know. All we can do it wait; watch and wait…'

Both men couldn't help but to think that maybe Cedric would still be with Jessica had they remained in Venice. The Goblet had finally resolved things as they were meant to be resolved with the Tournament – and that definitely included Cedric Diggory. Liam wasn't the type of man to ever wish for anyone's death, but in this moment he could see how people could be so pushed to want such a thing. Jessica deserved so much better than this. It was a blessing in disguise that her liaison with Cedric had never become public knowledge.

The humiliation would have surely killed her.

**xxxOOOxxx**

The first snowfall of the season began one Hogsmeade weekend. The town was a hotbed of activity as the Yule Ball drew near. The students were out in force scouring for attire to wear to the Yule Ball and not even heavy snowfall could stop them. Jessica still hadn't made her presence known and her stomach was in knots over what to do. She knew that she was ready to move forward, the question was how?

She was in her offices above the shop when she heard taunting from outside.

'Holy Merlin! Granger's got a dress! Hey you nappy-headed chipmunk what's in the bag!' someone shouted.

Jessica peeked carefully from behind her drawn curtains. It was Marietta Edgecombe. For the former Librarian 'hate' was a mighty strong word, but if there was one person that ever really pushed her over the edge enough where she would use it in regards to them it was that arsewipe of a girl. Marietta Edgecombe was a haemorrhoid on the butt of humanity… She could see Marietta and a group of girls that were from Hufflepuff. Cho Chang was not among them.

The girls were all ganging up on Hermione. Marietta had snatched her bag and pulled out her dress. Some of the girls were running about throwing it to each other above Hermione's head.

'Give it back!' Hermione demanded. 'Give it back or I'll…'

'Or you'll do what?' Marietta sneered as there was the ungodly sound of ripping.

'You don't need to worry about what she'll do you – but you damn well better worry about what I can!' Elio said as he stormed outside from the shop.

Some hexes blasted downwards in arching sonic booms above their heads from an upstairs window.

'Who do you think you are?' Marietta shrieked. 'I'll get my father on you! I'll…'

'I don't give a rat's arse about your father! We've got the entire incident on the wizcam! The proper authorities will be notified!' Fergal growled as he stepped forward. He knew what an impressive figure he cut in the traditional clothes of his people.

'See – I told you we should've just left that know-it-all alone!' someone hissed.

'Now get out – the lot of you,' 'You're all barred! You take one step near this shop again and you'll be sorry you did!'

'Fuck sakes – he's a Highlander!' The girls took off, wondering about just how much trouble they were going to be in.

'It's all Granger's fault!' Marietta shrieked.

'It is not! It's YOUR fault Marietta you stupid bint! She's not even worth the aggro!'

There was nothing but angry shouting, shoving and name-calling as the girls made their way to the end of the lane and back on the High Street.

'Come inside here for a bit…' Elio suggested to Hermione. 'I wouldn't worry about them… the ringleader there isn't going to be so popular anymore I can guarantee it. I've dealt with people like her more times than I can count.'

The Gryffindor looked around for her dress and robes which she had only just bought. There was nothing but rags scattered all around.

'My dress and my robes,' she squeaked tearfully. 'I just spent the last of my allowance…'

Fergal moved around collecting the thin silky rags. 'I'm afraid they've really done a number on them… _Miss_…'

'Granger…_Hermione Granger_…'

Jessica had seen enough, positioned as she was in a dark corner of the shop now.

'Come inside, Hermione. We'll sort something out…'

The Gryffindor looked up in astonishment at hearing a soothing and familiar voice, a voice Hermione thought she'd never hear again.

'_Miss Newkirk? Jessica??'_

'Yes… it's me alright…'

The young woman threw her arms around Jessica and burst into tears.

'We'll do something about your dress, I promise.'

'Oh Jessica! I... I… _I'm just so happy to see you!_'

'It's good to see you too, Hermione; it really is…'

**xxxOOOxxx**

Hermione had a million and one questions and didn't know where to begin. Elio and Fergal had closed the shop so they wouldn't be disturbed and introductions were made all around. Jessica began with the most obvious – where she had been all this time. There was no mention of Cedric as she told her tale between sips of hot chocolate.

'Nobody thought of that believe me!' Hermione gasped. 'So you went to Venice and learned how to do _this_?'

'Yes – it's always been a dream of mine. I had a lot of doors slammed in my face, but Elio's father gave me a chance. He taught me everything he knew and he's become like a father to me. I couldn't have asked for a better opportunity. Elio's parents are here now, reviewing more techniques with me…'

'Jessica was born to do this,' Elio said matter-of-factly. 'She may have been good at her other job, but this makes her happiest. You can see that she is very talented, no?'

'Jessica… I sent you a note… Hedwig…' Hermione stammered. 'I wasn't sure if she'd actually found you since she came back with my message gone and nothing in its place. Nobody knew that I sent her – Harry would be furious…I was just so desperate…'

'She found me, yes. She must have been looking for quite a while in some of the nastiest storms Venice has seen for decades. I nursed her back to health and sent her back. I wasn't really sure of my plans at that point and I just wasn't ready yet to face the world again and there wasn't much I was prepared to say. But your note made me think and once I worked it out I decided it was time to really try to have something for myself. Given the track record of the other Ca'Macana enterprises I thought I would toss my hat into the ring. I just wanted to take my time before letting the world know that I'm here.'

'_At least I can be thankful that Cedric hasn't sold me out in that regard,'_ Jessica thought to herself. There hadn't been so much as a ripple in the hotbed of gossip that was the rumour mill between Hogsmeade and Hogwarts.

'This is amazing!' Hermione gasped in astonishment as she looked at the beautiful masks and beaded gowns and other attire. 'Nobody has any idea that it's you. Madam Rosmerta has been telling everyone that it's Italian wizards.'

'That isn't exactly a lie…'

'No, I guess it isn't…'

'See anything you like?' Jessica asked, smiling.

Elio and Fergal looked at each other. It had been quite a while since they'd seen their boss smile. It was the first time since that dreadful business with Cedric.

'Everything is so gorgeous… and the slippers and jewelry…everything.'

Jessica took Hermione's cup of hot chocolate from her and held up a sumptuous beaded dress in rich hues of raspberry and blue.

'I just finished slippers that would be perfect for that,' Elio said he summoned them from the workroom.

'And we have the perfect jewellery,' Fergal said with a nod as he summoned a powder blue velvet box.

A quick flick of her wand and Hermione was turning this way and that, scarcely believing that she could be wearing something so beautiful.

'Your hair… It should be sleek and worn up with just a few tendrils I think…' Jessica said as she summoned a bottle of something called 'Sleek Easy' and began fashioning Hermione's hair into a twist.

'Bella! Mia Cara whoever he is is a lucky man!' Elio said through a wolf whistle.

'Jailbait!' Hermione grinned.

'Gay!' Fergal said with a finger snap.

'Gay trumps Jailbait definitely…' Jessica snorted as she applied some make-up to Hermione's flawless skin. 'You don't need much Hermione, you really are gorgeous you know. Don't ever let anyone tell you otherwise or make you feel different. I can guarantee you it will be jealousy talking. Beauty and brains – lethal combination and they all know it. You have a great smile – use it…'

Hermione couldn't help but eyeball Fergal who gave her a big smile and a knowing wink in return.

'So you're going to the ball…' Jessica said proudly. 'Who is he?'

'I was…' Hermione said tearfully. 'I don't have anything to wear now…'

'Silly billy; what do you think this is?'

'Oh I couldn't! It costs so much and I don't have any money…!'

'Who is your date Hermione?'

'I haven't told anyone… they'll just take the mickey out of me… and Harry and Ron are being so idiotic at the moment, especially Ron!'

'Some gorgeous, dashing stranger foreign to these shores?' Jessica asked innocently.

Hermione blushed and giggled uncharacteristically. 'Yes actually. It's Viktor, Viktor Krum the international Quidditch player. He's the Champion for Durmstrang…'

'VIKTOR KRUM?!' Elio and Fergal said in unison.

'Damn girl – you SERIOUSLY pulled!' Fergal roared. 'You'll knock 'em flat on their delusional arses,' he added said as he moved forward with a gorgeous satiny sheath in his hands. 'The dress robes… now it's a done deal…'

'You are definitely taking these and going to that Ball! No arguing, I insist.' Jessica said putting up a hand and ignoring Hermione's feeble protesting. No matter what she said, Jessica could tell that their gorgeous swan really wanted to show everyone what she was made of, most of all she just wanted to show herself.

A wave of Jessica's wand and Hermione was once again in jeans and a heavy sweater with her bushy hair in clips and no artifice whatsoever.

'I have one condition…' Jessica said. 'No one can know I'm here… not yet…'

'There's something else, isn't there?' Hermione asked carefully. Jessica seemed so sad despite her attempts at being jocular.

'I'll be alright Hermione. These things take time.'

'Dumbledore… He's been really anxious about you… and Harry and Ron… everybody… You've really been missed and it's not the same without you at school.'

'Oh I don't think _everyone_ misses me…'

'_He_ has…'

'Who?' Jessica asked, her heart jumping into her throat.

'Professor Snape…'

There was no comment save a loud snort.

Elio looked at Fergal who simply shrugged.

'_Honestly_, I'm sure of it…' Hermione insisted.

'How?' Jessica found herself asking. 'How could you possible know something like that?'

'Woman's intuition… and Hagrid let it slip a couple of times…'

'Oh… bless him; some things haven't changed I see…'

'Everyone would love to see you again, Jessica. Honest!'

'Why don't you go to the Ball, BossLady?' Fergal suggested as he walked over to Jessica.

'Oh! Yes! Oh say yes Jessica please!' Hermione begged.

'I don't have a date…'

'After the shock wore off I don't think you'll be short of a dance partner,' Hermione said matter-of-factly.

'It's insane!'

'It's bloody brilliant as Ron would say!'

'You said earlier that you were feeling ready to make that move but that you were just stuck as to how to move things forward,' Elio reminded Jessica carefully. '_All things considered_… you'd certainly show a few people something yourself.'

Jessica looked at him and then Fergal. Finally her eyes rested on her fellow co-conspirator.

'I know _exactly_ how you should pull it off,' Hermione said.


	37. The Yule Ball, Part I

**Plot, new characters, new magical terms and abilities etc. are my intellectual property. If you want to borrow then please kindly ask. JK Rowling's characters and Wizarding Universe are all uniquely hers.**

**Summary: AU: What if everything we ever read in JK Rowling's books was real – including the people characterised? What would you do if you found yourself caught up in that reality knowing what was to come? SSnape, CDiggory, OFC**

_**Authors Note:**__**It has been mentioned in the story but now I am noting it here. I am a fan of Diana Gabaldon's 'Outlander'/'Cross Stitch' series and definitely was influenced by that in writing this story – i.e. the Standing Stones and traveling through time. But I also love Philip Pullman's 'His Dark Materials' series and the tv programme 'Sliders' and the alternate universes alongside ours idea comes from there no doubt.**_

_**CHAPTER NOTES: Yes I have been gone for quite some time. Unfortunately I had some very real-life problems to grapple with. But I will finish this and all my other stories. And more will be revealed about the clans in time…**_

**Fantasy/Drama**

**This story is rated R/M.**

**ENIGMA**

**Chapter 037: The Yule Ball, Part I**

The first task of the Tri-Wizard Tournament had come and gone and everyone was grateful for an opportunity to blow off some steam. There seemed to be no end to the work that needed to get done over the break, but no one really cared about that. It seemed that even the most unlikely of students was apt to be a bit rowdy now and the rowdiest were stark-raving mad with the excitement of the ball.

There were some exceptions to this, and one of them was Cho Chang.

**xxxOOOxxx**

The trouble that Marietta had caused had gotten around the school like wildfire and it was all anyone could talk about with the notable exception of the Yule Ball.

'_Honestly_ – anyone that follows that simp is just asking for it!' Roger Davies sniffed. Roger was the most popular boy in school barring Cedric and it was thought what made him even more attractive were his Ravenclaw intelligence and cool logic. 'She's always got a vendetta against somebody and she'll stop at nothing to use people to do her dirty work. _Too bad some people just don't have the common sense to see her for what she is._'

Cho felt sick to her stomach as she listened to the gossip about some of the more outrageous things that Marietta had gotten people to do, and almost always in her own House. It seemed as though most of Ravenclaw was actually sharing two brain cells and they were fighting each other.

And that included her.

Cedric meandered in and sat down at the far end of the Hufflepuff table in the Great Hall, holding his head. He wasn't supposed to sit over there, she thought panicking; he was supposed to be sitting next to her. Cho watched for the third day in a row with her heart in her throat as Terry Boot walked over and asked him if he was alright. She could barely hear as Cedric mumbled something back. She heard something about Madam Pomfrey from Terry and then Cedric shook his head 'no' and said something about sleep. Terry frowned; he clearly didn't agree and said something about _'it carrying on for way too long'_.

'What's the matter love?' Marietta asked snidely as she strolled by. Cho had been avoiding her like the plague. 'Boyfriend getting _bored_?'

'I don't know what to do!' Cho blurted out.

'Do about what?' Marietta asked innocently. 'Oh… you mean the _potion_?'

'Shh! Keep your voice down!'

'You _do_ know that you have to keep on feeding it to him, don't you? Without it… well what do you really have, eh? _Although_… that is a wee bit _dangerous_.' Marietta yawned. 'You see, prolonged use can _actually_ be quite lethal given that most of the ones that actually do work are derived from poisons. And Merlin-only-knows-_what _was in whatever it was in that _outrageously expensive_ _love potion_ _you_ _bought_!'

Cho looked horrified.

'Honestly Cho – that's Second Year Potions! Old Snape is right about you…'

Marietta got up and flounced off, not even trying to hide the self-satisfied smirk on her face.

**xxxOOOxxx**

Cho wanted Cedric to love her without it being forced. And whatever it was between them – it was forced, wasn't it? He didn't give her the time of day otherwise, not since she'd had to ease up on the potion. It just cost too much, Marietta was right about that. But Marietta had been _so_ persuasive… and yet Marietta herself didn't really like Cedric. A day didn't go by without her making some kind of nasty comment. And all Cedric really did was let Cho get him off – and he didn't really seem to even like what she did that much now. She still hadn't managed to get him into bed properly and that bothered her a lot.

She'd had to manipulate Cedric into taking her to the Ball by using another spell that she bought from the dealer in Hogsmeade. For so-called love and influencing spells both were pretty crap actually! No one respectable ever went into that stupid shop anyway and she had to be careful. For Merlin's sake it was down that dingy alley next to the Hog's Head!

And still Cho's thoughts returned to Marietta, her supposed best friend. Best friends looked out for each other, didn't they? Then why did it feel like her best friend was setting her up for a serious come-down. Cho had really stuck her neck out for Marietta; Merlin only knew that she had rubbed too many people in the House the wrong way. The parties Marietta was invited to, the outings to Hogsmeade and get-togethers over the Holidays – it was all down to Cho. Cho traded on her popularity to help out Marietta because she felt sorry for her. And when she really needed help, her so-called best friend was anything but helpful.

Had she made such a horrible mistake?

**xxxOOOxxx**

Cedric looked so green around the gills that Terry did the unthinkable and snuck into Hufflepuff Tower. He wished he knew where the hell he was going – the place was so large it could take forever to find him. After searching for an hour he found Cedric sprawled across the floor of his dormitory, breathing shallowly and coughing up bile intermittently. The Hufflepuff barely looked conscious.

'Madam Pomfrey! Come quick!' Terry shouted frantically into the fireplace.

The Mediwitch stepped through and began to examine Cedric. She conjured a stretcher and sent him up to the infirmary so that she could check him out thoroughly. Only tests could tell why one of the most fit young men in the school was so horribly ill.

**xxxOOOxxx**

'Venomous tentacula?' Professor Sprout repeated incredulously. 'Poppy my dear, are you very sure about this?'

'As sure as I am standing here – he's ingested a great deal of venomous tentacula…!'

'He's one of my prize students in Herbology; he knows better than most of them what it can do to you! No wonder he barely fought off that bloody dragon in the first task!'

'See the results for yourself,' Madam Pomfrey sighed as she handed over a thick folder.

Professor Sprout flipped through it and frowned.

'Yes,' said Madam Pomfrey, 'Our Champion seems to have developed some very odd tastes… and not just with the company he keeps…'

'Oh – what was that?'

'Nothing dear. I would venture to say that we should confiscate all Weasley's Wizard Wheezes products immediately. This isn't the first time their more exotic products have gotten the better of some poor schmuck!'

'Some what?'

'Just an expression I picked down London way…'

'I thought Cedric knew better than that!' Professor Sprout sighed exasperatedly.

'Holy Merlin, woman! The whole place is in uproar what with this Tournament and Ball business! Giving them a few days off before this dance was the worst thing the Ministry could do! Most of them don't seem to have the common sense that the Goddess gave them…!'

'I did tell him he ought to loosen up a bit and try to have some fun… He didn't seem to be too happy, but I couldn't get him to talk.'

'Well now you can tell him to curb his enthusiasm! And thank young Mr. Boot there for trespassing. If it weren't for him well… this could have been a lot worse believe-you-me!'

**xxxOOOxxx**

The Weasley twins were livid that their "sweet little earner" with Weasley's Wizard Wheezes was being shut down. They were lucky to still be going to the Ball after Professor McGonagall got through with them.

'We were doing a roaring trade with the Vomit Clusters!' Fred roared in outrage.

'Serves you right! Madam Pomfrey is still trying to cure Henrietta Grubstick!' Hermione snorted. 'You and your 7 days off school fool-proof package!'

'Well she's been off two months now!' Fred said defensively.

'And those boils are a definite improvement!' said George.

**xxxOOOxxx**

As far as anyone was aware, Cedric had trained himself to the point of exhaustion and thanks to a rogue Tentacula Energy Bar he now needed some rest. As he lay in bed in his dormitory, he could only think that things were terribly messed up and he didn't know how they had gotten this way. The past couple of months had hazy; there were moments when it was as though he was outside of himself watching someone who looked like him but who wasn't him doing things that made him feel less than human.

And Cho – she may be alright for someone else, but so much about her and them being together just didn't make any sense now that he seemed to be waking from his stupor. And yet all the lads were bigging him up because she was very popular and one of the fittest girls in the whole school. How they would take the piss if they knew that all that had happened were a few mediocre blow jobs. Cedric couldn't even bring himself to sleep with her…

How was it that he and Jessica had split up anyway? Things had gotten so out of control, he thought at times he was going insane. He was losing his mind and there was no Jessica to comfort him. He just wanted to be alone and would avoid Cho as much as possible with the exception of confirming that they were still going to the Ball together.

It was too late to do anything about it now.

**xxxOOOxxx**

The day of the Yule Ball was finally upon them. There was undiluted excitement in the air for most, but for some it was yet another endurance test and they wanted it to be over.

Cho had gone to Hogsmeade one last time to get some more potions after a whining plea to her father that had been guaranteed to work – he never denied his Little Empress anything. Cedric was almost his old self again and that left no doubt in Cho's mind that she was skating on thin ice. His behaviour seemed to vary, but indifference was still a huge part of his character – and she wasn't having that, not any more.

She would get them drinks tonight, and slip some of the potion in. This potion was supposed to be the 'end all and be all' – this was the one to really break down his strong will. The dealer didn't understand it, everything else should definitely have worked. But the ideal results were very short-lived. Cho's pride wouldn't let her accept that Cedric just did not love her and never would of his own free will. And she couldn't go back to that shop for a while; she'd nearly been caught coming out of it by the Weasley twins as they plied their trade to the denizens of the Hog's Head having been forced out of Hogwarts.

Tonight it was make or break. Come tomorrow morning everyone was headed home for the holidays. With that much time off, if he hadn't ingested anything then she was going to lose him.

**xxxOOOxxx**

Hermione managed to get Jessica into Hogwarts unnoticed. It helped that Jessica was still listed as an official staff member and as such did not need clearance from Dumbledore or McGonagall. There were no security arrangements barring her from entering the grounds. But it was still a bit unnerving just how easy it was.

'Are you sure we'll be ok up here' Jessica whispered as Hermione ushered her into her room in Gryffindor Tower and locked the door behind them.

'Mmm hmm; the others are already there trying to one-up each other and the Ball hasn't even officially started yet!'

'Hah – wait till they see _you_ my dear…' Jessica said assuredly.

She and Hermione got work laying out Hermione's clothes and the accessories she had tried on in the shop. Jessica took her time, carefully arranging Hermione's hair and doing her make-up. She made sure that every fold in the beaded silk gown was just so and then stepped back to admire her handiwork.

'You look amazing!' Jessica said beaming.

Hermione took one look in the mirror and gasped.

'Is that… is that really _me_?'

'Her lips move when yours do – yes I'd say that was you…'

Hermione's eyes started to well up and she threw her arms around Jessica and hugged her tightly.

'Stop it before you get me going!' Jessica said as she hugged Hermione back.

'My mother… she's not very good with this sort of stuff. She's the reason I dress like I do. Getting my eyebrows waxed caused World War III… You'll be there to see me, won't you? '

'Well, looks like I revealed myself to you just in time…' Jessica said before kissing her on the forehead. 'I wouldn't miss it for the world sweetie. You're a smasher Miss Granger. Don't be nervous and just enjoy yourself ok?'

Jessica adjusted Hermione's tendrils and re-touched up her make-up. She showed Hermione how to do it herself so that she would finish the evening as immaculately as she was starting it. The final touch was the dress robe which had a ruby swan for a clasp.

'I feel like… I'm ok…' Hermione said breathlessly.

'You are much better than 'ok'. Don't let the haters get you down and just enjoy having someone as nice as Viktor treating you like the queen that you are. I think it says a lot about his character and intentions that he paid the sycophants no mind. You'll be fine with him, you'll see.'

Hermione and Jessica clasped hands and took a deep breath.

'You'll be right down…' Hermione asked worryingly.

'Just as soon as I scrub up and prepare for my grand entrance. Remember, you are as surprised as everyone else, eh?'

Hermione nodded and they wished each other good luck. The Gryffindor made her way downstairs and Jessica set to work.

'I'm doing the right thing, I am…' she whispered hoarsely.

**xxxOOOxxx**

She hadn't prepared herself, not really. She hadn't thought about what it would be like to see _him_ – and with _her._ Jessica tried not to hate Cho Chang, but she did. She would never forget what happened that night, and that the young lady was the reason why her whole word had been torn apart. Try as she might, Jessica couldn't understand what it was for him. Cho stood there running off at the mouth with other equally vapid girls, talking about hair and make-up. The dress that she chose wasn't particularly memorable in a good way; it was a typical Chinese-style dress on top. But oddly enough it was grey and very meringue-like. Cedric wouldn't be able to get near her especially with the bustle in the back.

She looked at Cedric and wondered if she'd lost her mind.

For someone who had the world at his feet and one of the hottest girls at Hogwarts he didn't look particularly pleased to be there. Or was it just wishful thinking on her part? Did she just want something to be wrong between them when nothing really was – or were her eyes and instincts not deceiving her at all? Other couples were particularly tactile, but not he and Cho Chang. She was expecting passion, a spark – something.

But there was just this emptiness on his part and frustration on the part of Cho, she was sure of it.

Jessica settled into her hiding space and watched as the music for the Dance of Champions began to ring out and Hermione processed into the Great Hall on the arm of Viktor Krum.

**xxxOOOxxx**

The dancing was in full swing and Jessica had been right, Viktor was the perfect partner for Hermione on such a special occasion as this. He cared for her regardless of the face she presented to the world, and the former Librarian knew that it was something that resonated deeply within his chosen companion for the Ball. Everyone else was marvelling at the beauty of the resident know-it-all from Gryffindor and how she had managed to pull the most desired of all the young men.

There were a select number of invited guests as there had always been for the Tournament in centuries past. The Ormessinis were there as Minerva and Liam's special guests along with Fergal. It was a gesture welcomed by Minister Crouch, who at least saw some sense in making contacts within the wizarding community in Italy, even if The DaVinci School was nowhere as prestigious as the elite three.

Jessica's eyes flickered over the room looking for the familiar figure swathed in his requisite black but she did not see him. He was probably skulking around out of doors – punishing students for having the gall to have a good time just as she'd read in Book 4. She shouldn't care where he was and yet now that she was back here she couldn't help but to think about him even though she had nothing to prove anymore. Dumbledore was there along with Hagrid and the rest of the Professors and staff. A heavy shiver went down her spine and she admonished herself to not be afraid.

Most of the principal characters were in place; she couldn't wait any longer.

Her time had come.

**xxxOOOxxx**

'Are you going to ask me to dance at all?' Padma Patil demanded heatedly.

'Nope' said Ron, paying her no mind.

'You have any intention of dancing or are you going to be as useless as he is?' her twin Parvati asked Harry, making it clear she had no interest in doing so with him.

But there was no answer.

Harry's eyes were glued to the white marble staircase that everyone had come down to get into the room. He had to wipe his eyes just to make sure he wasn't hallucinating.

Someone stood at the top of the stairs in a fitted strapless white silk and velvet sheath of a dress beaded with sparkling crystals and matching gloves that came up just past her elbows. If the dress weren't incredible enough, whoever it was wore an ornate Venetian mask decorated in red and gold with swirls of colour around the eyes. Beautiful white feathers and beads were part of the decoration and they also figured prominently in the girl's hair and shoes. Her dress robe was a white fur with a porcelain and jewelled mask as a clasp. The jewellery – this was a girl who'd gone to a lot of trouble and Holy Merlin the effect was dazzling.

'_Who the bloody hell is that?'_ Ron gasped.

Couples stopped dancing and the conversation settled to a low hum and then stopped altogether as the lone figure made her way gracefully down the stairs. Her skin was luminous and she looked so delicate, like something out of a fairy tale. It was too much for one night – first Hermione Granger and now this!

No one noticed Cedric's reaction as the figure reached the bottom of the stairs and walked slowly towards the front of the room where the Professor Dumbledore and the other teachers were gathered. She did not acknowledge him as she glided past he and Cho and then past the table where Harry and Ron were still ignoring their dates. Next was Hermione with the young man that was Viktor Krum. The Gryffindor bit her lip and commented to Viktor that no, she had no idea who that was. Jessica smiled after hearing his reply back that whoever she was – the girl was not half as beautiful as Hermione was.

'Now he could be my son-in-law,' Jessica thought and then admonished herself for thinking such foolishness. After all, it was fairly obvious from the books that Ron was going to end up with Hermione (although Jessica was in the camp that thought he was all wrong for her and she could do better).

Dumbledore stepped forward slightly, but said nothing as he studied the unknown girl. The girl (or was she a woman) stood there, silent and unmoving. There were faint footsteps to her right as a figure moved into view and then bowed. His face was obscured by an opulent mask of black decorated with silver and gold. Jessica returned his greeting with a curtsey and looked at him, not daring to speak.

'Would you do me the honour of having this dance, My Lady?' he intoned in a rich and surprisingly deep baritone that caught her off guard.

'I… I will,' she answered in a faint whisper that only he could hear.

The band struck up a slow one, and Jessica and her partner began to dance.

**xxxOOOxxx**

They were a sight to behold, the man in midnight black silk and velvet robes twirling the striking lady in white, both with beautiful yet contrasting masks and attire.

'I looked everywhere for you,' he said as he leaned into her and spoke softly in her ear. 'I even went to Venice.'

'And you never found me?' she replied in a trembling voice.

'I was called away just when I was certain I had found you; and when I was able to return it was too late,' he said sadly drawing her close. 'You're trembling my love…'

A lone tear rolled below the mask.

'You really came for me?' Her lips were trembling now.

'Ca'Macana – as with the shop in Hogsmeade. That is where you were, was it not?'

'_But how…?'_

'I will always come whenever you need me; I swore it with my blood and I will honour the vow I made to you in your absence.'

'I'm sorry… I don't deserve your loyalty, you must know that surely.'

Her saviour stroked the moisture away as it escaped the confines of her mask.

Still no one noticed Cedric, incandescent with rage. The room was a hive of whispers and comments. Students and staff jostled each other for a good look.

And Cho Chang used it to make her move.

'It is me who does not deserve you. I drove you to do things I will have to live with. It has taken me this long to come to terms with it,' Jessica's saviour replied.

His hands, those beautiful hands also curiously soft drew her ever closer.

Jessica reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck and he wrapped his around her waist.

'I won't let him hurt you, ever,' he whispered. 'I won't let anyone hurt you or come between us ever again. _I _won't hurt you ever again!'

'I'm scared; _I'm so scared_…'

'Don't be; you are one of the bravest people I have ever known and you have me… always.'

He lifted the mask slowly, taking great care with the precious thing. Without a word he placed on the table nearest them. Viktor picked it up carefully and gave it to Hermione who sat wordlessly weeping as she watched her Potions Master remove his.

Severus looked at the woman he had nearly gotten himself killed over. Jessica's big brown eyes were filled with tears.

'_Severus_; what I've done…'

'Shhh,' he said softly as his lips lightly brushed her forehead and they clung to each other while the music played on. 'I love you, Jessica. I have always loved you; and if it means that I spend the rest of whatever time I have left alive proving myself to you, then I will do it. I will do whatever I have to for the honour and privilege of your love.'

The room was in uproar around them. Minerva and Liam were decidedly in shock and faintly disappointed. Harry was ecstatic that Jessica had come back – but she was with that bastard Snape – _Snape of all people after everything he had put her through_. This was just some momentary bit of madness, it had to be! Dumbledore didn't know whether to cry or to give Jessica a bloody good hiding, but thank Merlin she was back! They were going to have to have a talk… The twins and many of the other students were whooping it up with joy believing she was finally recovered from her illness and was back at her post. Still others in their number were paralysed with the shock of it all.

And Snape – oh motherfucking Merlin, _Snape_!

Cedric downed the drink that Cho handed him in one go and returned to ignoring her. Memory after memory of he and Jessica washed over him and then came _**the**_ memory, the true memory of That Night. He started to move forward, shouting; but no one could hear him with so much going on in the room. Viktor saw him moving towards Jessica in a what was no doubt a blind rage and whispered to Hermione. With the help of two of his comrades from Durmstrang they heaved the protesting Hufflepuff outside.

**xxxOOOxxx**

'Go sleep it off!' Viktor roared in heavily accented English. 'Do not ruin this night and disgrace yourself and this school! You are a Champion, remember that!'

'You don't know what you're talking about! He'll hurt her! He will! This isn't supposed to be happening! It isn't!' Cedric howled uncontrollably. _Merlin's Beard – what was happening to him?_

'You're drunk Cedric! You've had too much! Now get out of here before I get McGonagall!' Hermione screamed.

'_I haven't had anything! I swear I haven't!'_

Marietta watched Cho who hung back, horrified.

Why wasn't it working on him? Cho thought angrily. She'd done what she was told with the potions. Damn Cedric and his resistance anyway. They should be inside with him holding court and her at his side. It should be _them _that everyone was making such a fuss over, not Snape and that bitch! And what was _that_ all about anyway?

Cedric looked over at her. 'Get out of my sight! You make me SICK!'

He vomited heavily and Marietta started laughing so hard she welled up with tears.

'Poor little Cho – how much did you spend on that lot?' she cackled before running after her latest victim.

'_What did she say?'_ Hermione asked incredulously as she peered closely at Cedric and then the goo that tainted the fresh snow. 'Cedric are you ok?'

The Hufflepuff Quidditch Captain began to take deep breaths and then slowly brought himself into his full height, albeit shakily.

'Of course I'm ok,' he said slowly. _'Cho? Where's Cho?'_

'Right here Cedric!' Cho simpered, resisting the overwhelming temptation to whoop in triumph. She stomped over through the snow and made sure she eliminated as much of the evidence that Cedric had heaved up as she could. There wasn't that much to do as Cedric was doing much the same himself, feeling very embarrassed.

'I obviously had something that didn't agree with me,' he reasoned. 'But I only had one glass of Hot Butterbeer and nothing else…'

'_Right…'_ Hermione said suspiciously as she eyeballed the snow.

'What's it to you anyway?' Cho sniffed angrily, her eye narrowing.

'Come on – no need to get into a fight and over nothing,' Cedric sighed.

'Nothing. None of my business,' Hermione replied.

'_Exactly_ – now you'll have to excuse us,' Cho snapped as she let Cedric put an arm around her shoulders and then led him away.

'Strange,' Viktor commented, shaking his head in disbelief.

'Yes, yes they are…' Hermione replied vaguely as her eyes quickly swept the ground one last time. 'But nevermind them; let's get back to the Ball, its bloody freezing out here.


	38. The Yule Ball, Part II

**Plot, new characters, new magical terms and abilities etc. are my intellectual property. If you want to borrow then please kindly ask. JK Rowling's characters and Wizarding Universe are all uniquely hers.**

**Summary: AU: What if everything we ever read in JK Rowling's books was real – including the people characterised? What would you do if you found yourself caught up in that reality knowing what was to come? SSnape, CDiggory, OFC**

_**Authors Note:**__**It has been mentioned in the story but now I am noting it here. I am a fan of Diana Gabaldon's 'Outlander'/'Cross Stitch' series and definitely was influenced by that in writing this story – i.e. the Standing Stones and traveling through time. But I also love Philip Pullman's 'His Dark Materials' series and the tv programme 'Sliders' and the alternate universes alongside ours idea comes from there no doubt.**_

_**CHAPTER NOTES: I have edited this and re-submitted. Thanks to Sasha for showing me why I shouldn't write when I'm half asleep. Only Cedric is in Hufflepuff; Cho and Marietta are in Ravenclaw. This chapter has quite a bit of hot lovin' in it – tried to rewrite but Snape and Jessica had other ideas LOL!**_

**Fantasy/Drama**

**This story is rated R/M.**

**ENIGMA**

**Chapter 038: The Yule Ball, Part II**

Hermione was determined to carry on having a good time, but couldn't help looking at Cedric Diggory with Cho Chang. One minute he hated the sight of his date and the next he was all over her like a bad rash. If they got any closer on the dance floor she'd be heading to Pomfrey for a pregnancy test. Cho whispered into Cedric's ear and he burst out laughing before allowing himself to be led away.

'Bizarre, really bizarre,' Hermione muttered as Viktor lifted her up and twirled her around.

Despite a growing uneasiness about the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw, she couldn't help but to grin from ear-to-ear because of the obvious envy of some of the other girls towards her.

Cedric and Cho were finally forgotten as the room went mad with the arrival of the main band of the night called the Wyrd Sisters.

**xxxOOOxxx**

'I am very disappointed in you,' Dumbledore said gravely.

Jessica had left the Great Hall as the Wyrd Sisters launched into their first number and he hurried after her. This would not wait.

'Your prerogative,' Jessica snapped as she turned around.

'I am not your enemy, Jessica; really I am not!'

The former Librarian shook her head in exasperation. 'You don't get it, do you? After all this…? _I'm done! _I'm not going to repeat myself; you've heard it all before!'

'You're quite Machiavellian, Headmaster,' she added as she stood in the fullness of her height. 'But it never occurs to you that the pawns in this sick real-life game of wizard's chess you insist on playing get sick and tired of it all. I've gone through _so much_ since I arrived here – and most of it is because of you. I need to be free to live my life as it's meant to be lead without interference from you and so does everyone else! If all this hasn't taught you that I don't know what will!'

'I was only doing what I thought best!'

'_The most convenient excuse_… Now if you'll excuse me, Professor...'

'And what about the mistakes that _you've_ made, my dear? Or are you above making them?'

'I often wonder, _Sir_; just how many of my mistakes were under my _own_ volition and how many are because of _your influence_. I wonder that about others as well… _I wonder just how free anyone has been when they've crossed your path, or crossed you in some way that would make no sense to anyone but you…_'

The colour visibly drained from Dumbledore's face and Jessica stepped closer.

'You'd like to hex me to kingdom come, yes you would. But I'm too much of a temptation for you; you are bound and determined that you will use me just like you use Severus! I had already committed myself to do what I could… But that just wasn't enough for you. You have had thoughts which extend even beyond this coming war. You are a man who _does_ like power, Professor Dumbledore. Impress the hell out of me some day by coming down off that pedestal and admitting it!'

'You really think so ill of me…'

'And whose fault is that? Destiny is predetermined and cannot be avoided. As you well know, we can change the impact of destiny by the choices we make and how we respond to what occurs. And the soul continues to be guided by a Greater Plan and a Higher Order. That is an absolute metaphysical truth. _Fate_, however, _can_ be influenced, changed, and rearranged. You preach against it, but you yourself play with Fate constantly, and it's your pawns that pay heavy price for it. The ends _do not_ ever justify the means!'

There was nothing but a tense silence.

'_Have a good night, Headmaster,'_ Snape said coolly as he moved forward from the shadows.

'Whether or not I am an enemy is entirely up to you, Miss Newkirk,' Dumbledore commented.

'My enemy is ignorance of Spirit, Professor Dumbledore. 'The battleground is this world and the weapons are souls, magic and ego. If you understood anything about me you would know that.'

The Headmaster looked at his Potions Master, standing beside the former Librarian holding hands.

'_Good luck,'_ was the last thing he had to say.

For now.

**xxxOOOxxx**

'Would you be willing come with me to the Astronomy Tower,' Snape asked Jessica. 'I would like to spend time with you away from prying eyes and enquiring minds.'

'Ok,' she replied softly.

'_Jessica!'_ someone shouted, almost angrily.

The former Librarian turned slowly. She might as well get it over with. _'Hello, Harry,'_ she said quietly. Jessica felt Severus immediately stiffen and squeezed his hand lightly, but did not let go of it. Instead, she threaded her fingers through his.

'So you're back then?'

'Something like that, yes.'

The Boy Who Lived looked at her warily, taking note of the intimacy between her and the man she knew tormented him like no other besides his despised uncle.

'I have no intention of returning to Hogwarts; I have a business now in Hogsmeade.'

'So I've heard. Just how long have you really been around then?'

'Does it really matter?'

'It does to me.'

Harry's eyes flickered from Jessica to Snape. How he hated the Potions Master. He was itching to wipe that self-satisfied smirk from his face.

'I needed time, Harry.'

The Gyffindor looked at Snape with undeniable hatred.

'Yeah – _and I wonder why…_'

Jessica held up a hand. 'That's enough. I've had enough drama for one night.'

There was nothing but a loud snort.

'We will talk, Harry. But I'm not about to justify how I live my life to you!'

'_Leave it Harry_, and come back to the party,' Ron said appearing at his side. 'Hello Jessica – _Miss _– it's great to have you back!'

Ron couldn't help breaking into a big smile. Jessica had returned and that was the important thing. He was willing to overlook this madness with Snape. In his mind they all needed to get over it or else Jessica might change her mind and leave again.

'Hello Ron; you look very handsome in your dress robes!' It was true, Ron actually had proper robes and not the mad get-up described by Book 4 and portrayed in the film. 'Where did you get them?'

'Mum sent them. She got them second-hand and they were absolutely _horrible_ before from what she said. She transfigured them for me into something proper,' Ron beamed.

'Your mum is very talented indeed...'

'Oh, she is Miss! She did the needlework design on the tux vest herself and everything!'

'Now that you're all out of the house – think she'd be interested in taking on some work now and then at my shop?'

'Are you serious? She'd love it I'm sure! She's been raving about it since you opened! Just let her get over wanting to strangle you for up and leaving like that…and then for opening the shop and not telling her it was you that it belongs to…She's going to go mental when she finds out!'

'I'll leave it to you to pave the way Ron.' Jessica smiled.

Ron pulled a clearly displeased Harry back into the Great Hall and Jessica and Severus were finally able to make their getaway.

**xxxOOOxxx**

There was the faint sound of grunting and panting as they neared the top of the Astronomy Tower.

'I think someone beat us to it,' Jessica whispered as it became apparent what the grunting was.

'They will just have to leave after I give them detention!'

'Severus, please; you weren't the least bit randy as a teenager?'

Snape gave her a look and tried not to smile. Just as quickly as he began to smile there was overwhelming sadness and he shrugged it off before hurrying to the top of the staircase and throwing the door open.

'What the hell…' he began only to stop short.

_Jessica couldn't see this_. As much as it would boost his position if she did, he would not use this to inflict more pain on her. He knew without a doubt who her paramour in Venice had been. He would exact his revenge another way, a way that didn't involve her.

'Jessica, we should leave and…' he began in a whisper as he turned.

But he was too late, Jessica was already standing next to him.

There was a fire going aided by a heating charm, making it uncommonly hot in the freezing open air. Jessica was riveted to the spot by the sight before her. Cho Chang was naked except for her dress robe and backed up against a wall, beginning to fake an orgasm for all it was worth. And there was Cedric, still mostly dressed but with his pants down, jack-hammering inside her manically as he suckled on one of her breasts. There was only the strange grunting from him as she wrapped her legs around his back, begging him to fuck her hard. The Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw Quidditch Captains then sank to the ground. There was still that god-awful grunting as Cedric pounded Cho and then flipped her over like a pile of rags to take her from behind.

Jessica turned around wordlessly and swept back down the curving staircase with Severus on her heels. There was a loud cry of agony behind them and she supposed that Cho's anal cherry had just been popped. The former Librarian started running and didn't stop until she tripped and fell over in a darkened corridor.

'Jessica, please,' Snape said gently as he lifted her up into his arms. 'He's not worth it!'

There was nothing but the sound of Jessica's hysterical sobbing reverberating in the hallway around them.

'I didn't mean for you to see that! Honestly I didn't!' he implored. 'I should have realised someone else was bound to be up there already; but that was nothing to do with me honestly it wasn't!'

'Just take me away from here… _please_!'

She wasn't blaming him, thank Merlin!

'Of course…'

**xxxOOOxxx**

Jessica and Severus sat in her sitting room in silence. They hadn't said much to each other since making their startling discovery. For the first time that night he began to wonder if he was fighting a losing battle in trying to win her back.

'All I ever did was compare the two of you,' she finally said.

'And aspersions were cast upon my character,' the Potions said tightly.

'Yes… I won't deny it….'

There was a silence filled with nothing but sadness; sadness and regret.

'I bought an illegal time-turner,' Severus said slowly, 'I wanted to change things; undo the mistakes I made with you. I love you so much, and yet all I did was hurt you…'

Jessica looked at him, her eyes filled with sadness.

'I know, I know,' the Potions Master continued. 'It seems the Goddess had other ideas. When I returned I found it had shattered in transit.'

'That's a very expensive way to have to learn a lesson…' Jessica said quietly as she brushed tears off her cheeks.

'I would still do it if it meant that you could be happy; if _we_ could be happy again…'

'Even though you know I was with…_him_?'

Jessica placed one of his hands to her temple and closed her eyes.

'No, no more magic tricks,' Snape replied gently as he removed his hand and then kissed hers. 'We need to talk, Jessica; all we really need to do is talk to each other.'

The former Librarian nodded her agreement.

'You were with Cedric Diggory…'

Jessica nodded tearfully. 'Yes, yes I was…'

'But it has ended… and you have grieved for him, haven't you?'

'Yes,' Jessica sighed, 'on both counts.'

Severus impulsively ran a hand through her long hair. Tears began to fall again and he held Jessica in his arms.

'I grieved for you, Severus… and our son. Neither of you has ever left me.' Jessica said answering his unvoiced questions. 'I said some things that I can't take back. You were heartless and cruel and I needed you so much. You didn't care about me anymore…'

'I did care! I have never stopped caring – and I couldn't bear it Jessica!. I was a dunderhead I admit that!' the Potions Master replied as he blinked back tears of his own. 'And it was my own fault you grew to despise me… and take up with _him_!'

'If the Headmaster hadn't sent me to that damned Cup…'

'But he did… _he did_…'

'…and we're all paying a price for it…'

Severus and Jessica clung to each other.

'I'm sorry; but I meant what I said. I love you, Jessica and I will spend the rest of whatever time I have left alive proving myself to you. I _wil_l do whatever I have to for you to love me again.'

'You were with someone yourself, weren't you?' Jessica asked with a frown.

'Yes, but none of them were going to matter to me…' Snape replied turning her face to his. 'No one is as important to me as you are.'

'_I see…'_

It was as though he'd punched her in the stomach. Jessica knew that she had no right to feel angry that he'd slept with other women. They were apart and she did have that liaison with Lupin besides. But Severus could never know about _that_. And still she felt… disappointed. In fan fiction he lived for no one but the main characters she created, but this real life Severus Snape… he wasn't quite the stuff of fictional fairy-tale romances.

She reached over and took his hands in hers, unsure of what to say.

'All I ask is that you give me the chance that I have given you; that I still want to give you' Severus said firmly.

'Even though I've been sat here crying my eyes out over being betrayed by Cedric?'

'If I knew with absolute certainty that you still loved him and wanted to be with him, things would not have transpired as they have tonight. And I most certainly would not be here trying to begin again with you!'

'It's just… it really hurt having to see it with my own eyes. I just don't understand it.'

'I wish you had not been hurt in this way, but I will not pretend that I am unhappy that are you are free of him and that you have moved forward. I am happy; very happy and relieved that he has moved on. And I am especially pleased that you did not run off again, Jessica.'

'But how did you _know_, Severus? How did you manage to find me when even Dumbledore couldn't?'

'I can do many things that he cannot…' came a bitter reply.

'…which is why he feels perfectly justified in using you in the great crusade against You-Know-Who…'

There was no reply.

**xxxOOOxxx**

Jessica stepped out of the shower and donned her bathrobe. She wiped steam off of the bathroom mirror and looked at her reflection critically. Cho was attractive, yes – but so was she. Jessica didn't look her age (or what people thought she should look like considering her age) and she was in decent enough shape. Cho couldn't match her intellect; that much was certain. As for any talents – well Jessica couldn't say. She really didn't know the girl that well.

Her mind flew to the man waiting downstairs for her. Severus Snape was a man filled with pride. She did not underestimate what it had taken for him to do what he did this night. And she was very pleased about it. It meant a lot more to her now that it would have all those months ago when they split.

_Nothing happens that isn't meant._

So was it really necessary for Cedric to betray her in order that she appreciates Severus? The idea of it didn't sit well with her, but Jessica had to acknowledge that with the passage of time had come a great deal of wisdom. She had to think about everything that had come to pass which placed her right here, right now. And still it did not sit well with her, this idea that pain was _meant_.

She and Dumbledore had both made mistakes. But again she wondered: just how free was she and anyone else within the sight of Albus Dumbledore? Reluctantly accepting that she would never really know the answer, Jessica turned off the bathroom light and headed back downstairs.

She'd told Severus that she'd think about all that he'd said and what he proposed and then give him her answer when she came back down.

**xxxOOOxxx**

Severus had lit a fire in the fireplace and unfolded the large Celtic quilt that had lain across the back of Jessica's overstuffed sofa. Jessica looked at her Saviour, her avenging angel – her Dark Knight, framed as he was by the firelight as he stood waiting for her. Her heart pounded in her chest and the blood roared in her ears. There was something in the way that he looked at her, that something that had been in his eyes as he held her while the danced.

'It was quite cold in here,' Snape said quietly.

'A lot warmer than your dungeons…' Jessica said without thinking. She was beginning to wish she'd made more of an effort for him. He was certainly going all out for her. But how long would it last?

The Potions Master swallowed and then took a deep breath.

'I'm sorry, Severus; thank you for the fire,' Jessica said as she took a seat on the sofa.

She looked up him, his black eyes glittering in the firelight, his mouth a line of determination. He was not prepared to give up on her that much was clear.

'I meant every word I have said to you this night,' Snape said tightly as he sat down.

For the first time Jessica could sense the slightest bit of fear in him. Despite what he'd said about being sure about where she stood with Cedric, he was insecure about her feelings for him. She reached over and ran her fingers through his mass of black hair, down a cheek and then across his lips. They inclined towards each other in the same moment and their lips touched hesitantly. Severus began to loose control as he engaged her tongue in a hot fiery dance and devoured her hungrily, causing Jessica to moan.

The Potions Master rained kisses down on her, pulling her close to him. Jessica's hands went up around his neck and Severus eased her down on the sofa, laying on top of her between her legs. They looked in each other's eyes momentarily and Snape began to move against her, slowly at first, almost teasingly. He began to kiss her again and a hand untied her robe and moved down her body to the moistness below. She moved against his fingers as their tongues engaged in a dance once more. Severus pulled back for a moment and removed his clothes before lying on top of her again. It was Jessica's turn to stop and get out of the robe, as awkward as it was. She started to pull the quilt over them.

'No,' Severus said softly, but firmly. 'I want to see you… all of you. You are so beautiful, my love…'

He explored her body with his tongue, reacquainting himself with Jessica's curves. He began to kiss and lick her below and it was as though he'd been wandering in the desert for many days and nights and had finally found his oasis. Jessica held onto his hair as she thrust against him.

Severus was moving up her body and then she felt a prodding. There was a sharp intake of breath from both of them as he entered her. She felt herself stretching to accommodate him and began to move with him to find their rhythm. Jessica wrapped her legs around his back and pulled him as deeply to the hilt. She cried out his name uncontrollably. Snape was no fool; unlike that idiot Hufflepuff he knew when a woman was putting on an act for his benefit. Jessica most definitely was not doing that and never had done with him. He looked down her, her hair fanned across the sofa, one hand tugging at a nipple while the other ran up and down his back.

'Did he ever make you feel like _this_?' Severus rasped as he began to pound hard.

Jessica was holding onto him with both hands now, but before she could answer he covered her mouth with his and their tongues began battle for dominance. He pulled back and looked down at her, her ferocious Dark Knight with the blazing black eyes. Severus was making her his again; just as he had intended.

'No, not like you – never like you,' she answered truthfully as she looked up at him.

She couldn't lie to him or to herself now; not like she had to when she was with Cedric. And she had to tell Severus the absolute truth, because he already had the answer to the question he had put to her.

Snape began to thrust harder and faster.

'Come with me darling,' he hissed. 'Oh Merlin!'

He pounded and pounded and then there was an explosion of hot, sticky wetness deep inside her as they climaxed. There was nothing but him and her and finally they were one again.

**xxxOOOxxx**

Jessica woke up the next morning to find herself being held by Severus. He was looking at her with so much… _happiness… and love_.

The Potions Master leaned down and kissed her.

'I love you, Jessica,' he said.

Jessica looked up at him, studying his face. 'I know…'

Severus blinked. He had known it wasn't going to be easy to get where they should be, but he had been in denial about how much it would hurt to not have those words from her.

'I'm sorry – I need…time…' Jessica said sitting up.

She looked out the window nearest her at the snow that was falling. There was a whistle in the distance; the Hogwarts Express. A cursory glance at the clock on the mantelpiece showed that the train was now leaving and any students not remaining over the holidays were on their way home. Book 4 made it clear that the entire school as well as its visitors had remained in residence throughout the holidays. Reality once again had a different story to tell.

'Do you regret…?' Severus began.

'No, I don't,' Jessica replied quickly without thinking about it first.

The Potions Master covered one of her hands with his. 'I never hated you, even though you thought I did,' he said.

'I don't think now is the time to have that conversation…'

'Yes – you're right,' Severus replied, his voice and countenance filled with a longing that tugged at Jessica's heartstrings.

There was an almighty throbbing in her chest and she was struggling so much with all of this.

'Would you be willing to accompany me to town?' Severus asked quietly. 'We can have breakfast there and talk?'

Jessica nodded. 'I'd like that…'

Severus kissed her on the forehead and got up.

'Why don't I hang up your things and then we can sort something a bit more appropriate,' Jessica suggested as she picked up his garments from the evening before and laid them across her arm. Severus followed her upstairs to the master bedroom where she hung his clothes in the closet next to her own from the Ball. She placed the masks carefully in a large cushioned box lined with silk. She folded sheaths of silk around the masks and then placed the box on its own shelf beside their Ball attire.

She didn't propose sending his things to him and he didn't complain about them being in her closet.

**xxxOOOxxx**

Severus took Jessica to the Three Broomsticks. He had booked a private salon earlier in the morning, just in case. Rosmerta and Llewellyn were nothing less than shocked as they watched the couple walk up the stairs; the rumours about the Ball were true after all.

**xxxOOOxxx**

Jessica and Severus sat across from each other, Jessica's small hands resting in his, their food forgotten. They had talked until there really wasn't that much left to say. There was only their togetherness, a togetherness that confused Jessica despite the fact that she wanted more of it.

'You must be thinking that something must be wrong with you to even consider being with me…' the Potions Master offered.

Jessica smiled faintly. 'Something like that, yes…' she admitted.

'I do not hold it against you. I know that I have much to prove to you, last night notwithstanding.'

Jessica nodded 'yes', but acknowledging it didn't make her feel any better and she said so.

She looked down at her hands resting in his and then over at him. What Severus Snape felt deep inside shone through in those black eyes; those black eyes which he kept only on her. What he could not put into words could only ever be communicated in lovemaking. There was a gentle tug from him and she stood up and walked the few steps to his side of the table. He adjusted himself in the booth and she slid onto his lap, straddling him. The Potions Master looked up at her, tracing her face with his fingers. He brought his hand down to the collar of her shirt, his shirt. He undid a few buttons and began to kiss her, taking her hair down from its twist and letting it fall over them as their kissing grew more passionate. Jessica ground against the bulge in his trousers and moaned softly as his hands moved across her back then up front to cup her breasts. Severus leaned forward and took a nipple into his mouth as he thrust up hard against her. It was so painful to be so contained…

Jessica reached down and undid his pants, her mouth parting slightly at the sight of his springy black curls and then the angry red and purple of his thickness as it was set loose. Snape undid her pants and with a wave of his wand they were both naked except for their shirts. Jessica moved against him, warm and wet. There were voices and footsteps outside of their Salon – more customers with bookings for the other private suites. There was raucous laughter and shouts of "Merry Christmas", not that Jessica and Severus cared. They still had another few days before Christmas itself.

She eased herself onto him and began to rock, causing the seat to squeak just a bit. They moved for a moment or two and then he lay down on the bench with her still sitting astride him. Jessica's shirt was completely undone and hung loosely around her, her curly hair like the mane of a lion as she rode him. 'I want to hear you,' she groaned softly. 'I need to hear how much you love me…'

Severus' voice was a taught moan as growled in her ear, telling Jessica how much he loved her, how he couldn't live without her. He'd been a fool, a complete dunderhead; he couldn't carry on with being so alone and with her thinking ill of him. He was nothing without her, she gave meaning to his life...

His face was a mask of anger and despair as he thrust hard and deep. He was relentless, as though it would scourge away the reality of the others both of them had been with in the time that they were apart. There was an almighty guttural cry as he let go and orgasmed. Severus fought to regain control but it was no use. He looked up at Jessica's flushed face and kissed her gently. Her hands snaked through his hair and pulled him to her, squeezing her tight.

They was nothing else and no one else; there was only this bliss.

Only then could Jessica let go and finally admit that even after everything that had come to pass, she still loved him deeply.

**xxxOOOxxx**

Severus and Jessica walked back to Hogwarts together in a comfortable silence, their gloved hands intertwined. They seemed to have come to the agreement that there was no need to discuss any further what both already knew. It was enough to deal with their present circumstances.

'They'll be talking about you,' Jessica observed, breaking the silence as drank in the landscape.

The old gothic courtyard was covered in a blanket of snow and looked ethereally beautiful. It was as though the Goddess had made it especially for them.

'_As always,'_ came a withering reply.

'You are something else, Severus Snape.'

'I hope you mean that in a good way, Miss Newkirk.'

'Yes,' Jessica smiled as she tilted her head up to look at him. He was smiling too. 'In the best possible way.'

**xxxOOOxxx**

'I don't get it,' Harry ranted as he stomped across the Gryffindor common room, 'I just don't freaking get it! Is she on _drugs_ or something?'

'Harry you really don't know as much as you think you do,' Hermione admonished him. 'And it's nobody's business really!'

'I haven't seen or heard from her in ages and then she swans in here and goes straight to _him_?'

'Harry, have you lost your bleedin' _mind_ mate?' Ron demanded. 'She's a grown woman! She has her own life to lead and you have yours!. Hermione is right! What Jessica does and who she does it with is _her _business!'

'I think it's very romantic, actually,' Hermione said dreamily. 'I think Professor Snape wanted to show how much she means to him to her and to everyone else. You know, bring it out into the open so they wouldn't have to hide anymore while they worked things out.'

'_Romantic??'_ Harry squawked. 'Throwing her right out there for Voldemort? You think that's _romantic_?'

'Has it ever occurred to you that she might actually be safer because of it?' Hermione sniffed. 'No, I'm fairly sure it hasn't occurred to you any more than it should have occurred to Dumbledore.'

Ron looked at Hermione with a penetrating squint. '_Right_ – what have you heard and where did you hear it!'

Hermione looked around and beckoned for them to sit by her.

'I heard Liam McKenzie talking, trying to calm Dumbledore down. The Headmaster put up a massive front last night like he was ok with what happened, but he's furious with Snape – even more than he is with Jessica!' she said darkly.

'Dumbledore? Please… he's a big part of the reason why everything is such a mess from what I heard Mum and Dad saying,' Ron hissed.

'Well they aren't wrong there! It seems that there's a bit of friction with Snape and Dumbledore because the Headmaster manipulated Jessica into going to the World Cup (amongst other things).'

'Well he did! And my parents!' Ron snapped.

'I know, Ronald I know! For the love of Merlin, don't take my head off! I'm just telling you what I heard!'

'Anyway Snape apparently told Dumbledore that anyone who really cared about Jessica and knew her well would have figured out for themselves why she had disappeared and where she went. But he also reckoned that since Dumbledore didn't have the knowledge then it wasn't meant for him to know. Professor Snape said that it wasn't right for Dumbledore to hold things against people that didn't start with them. While Jessica was in the library she was a non-entity of sorts, just another Hogwarts employee that Draco Malfoy moaned about. It's the library – Pince gives everyone a right grilling so nothing new there! But _Dumbledore_ was the one who opened her up to public scrutiny – _he was the one_ that made it possible for Lucius Malfoy get a good look at his son's latest hate figure and he kicked off a whole _load _of stuff that should have _never_ happened!'

'Are you serious?' Harry piped up. 'Snape really said all that??'

'**Yep!** And that's not all! Dumbledore was really wound up about the way Snape and Jessica were dressed last night; here she is for all intents and purposes missing and not a word to anyone. She turns up in full Venetian regalia and so does Snape – and each is the one that completes the other!'

'How do you mean exactly…?'

'Oh – you know the masks they were wearing and the designs? There's always significance to Venetian masks and costumes and there's a long history with theatre and the like. I was reading about it in a book Jessica snuck in with my things for the Ball. In their case it was a comment on how alone each was without that special someone to complete them; you know, the whole two become one thing with souls that we study next year in Metaphysical Theory and Practical Applications.'

'You mean the whole time Snape was in touch with Jessica?' Harry grimaced, the veins at his temples throbbing mightily.

'No, Harry he wasn't! But he _knew her_ well enough to figure out where she could have gone and what she was likely to do! Dumbledore talks a good game but who is he really that close to? He's on good terms with people – but he's not friends with them like we're friends! Anyhow – Professor Snape told Dumbledore flat out that it was just a coincidence and Liam McKenzie took his side. Mr. McKenzie said he knew for a fact that Snape couldn't have known about Jessica's plans for the Ball, but he also said that didn't believe it was some simple coincidence. He said some things were meant to be with Snape and Jessica and that everyone was going to have to make adjustments, Dumbledore included.'

'Sounds like Snape got the best of him, and probably Liam McKenzie too,' Ron commented.

'I think that's a good part of it to be honest. Professor Dumbledore isn't used to the hired help knowing more than he did – and keeping him well out of it. But Snape said that Jessica's well-being was his priority and that Dumbledore had caused her enough pain. He said that there was no way she was coming back to Hogwarts to work and it was the Headmaster's fault as much as his.'

'So Snape admits he's an arsehole – _whoopdeedoo_,' Harry snapped.

'You want to join his ranks Harry? Because you'll end up with nothing if you keep on with this attitude,' Hermione said standing. 'Jessica is on your side but you will make it really hard for yourself if can't let go and let her get on with her life… You're making it really hard for her to be there for you the way that you want. She obviously loves Professor Snape and even if we don't understand it, we have to respect her right to be with him if that's what she wants to do.'

'Poor Diggory,' Ron snorted.

'_Poor Diggory?' _Hermione said carefully. 'What's it got to do with him?'

'I heard he was off his tree last night, totally wasted because he's got some mad crush on Jessica. He went ballistic because she wasn't giving him the time of day, just like he couldn't be bothered with that so-called date of his!' Ron burst out laughing. 'What a moron!'

'Hmmph, sounds like more lunacy from that skank Marietta Edgecombe,' Hermione frowned.

'Yeah yeah! Well he must be a total chump not to realise how desperate Cho Chang is. Talk about a clinging vine! I bet he's hammering that proper good though…_phwoar_!'

Hermione rolled her eyes and snorted loudly as she started chucking books into her rucksack.

Harry thought about how beautiful Cho was to him in her gown and how much he'd wanted to give Cedric Diggory a slap for not appreciating how lucky he was that he got to take her to the Ball instead of Harry. Harry had asked and had gotten knocked back – hard. 'You don't even know the girl,' he snapped at Ron.

'And neither does Diggory from what I heard,' Ron said.

'And what's that supposed to mean?' Hermione demanded as the events from the night before played in her head.

'Look – all I heard that that Diggory wasn't really all that bothered about being with her any more than he was with talking to her. Roger Davies said that she plays way too many games for his taste and she's not even good at them… or with _you-know-what_!'

'Well everyone knows Hufflepuff is a house full of duffers!' Harry snorted. 'Like Diggory would have ever stand a chance with Jessica, I mean come on!' He would ignore the comments about Cho – Davies was probably just hacked that Cho had kicked him to the kerb to run after Diggory.

'What _is_ a duffer exactly?' Ron asked, puzzled.

'Oh – well… it's…it's…you know!'

'Someone who is an incompetent or dull-witted person; someone who is actually quite mediocre (especially with sport); someone stupid, worthless and useless…a weakling,' Hermione replied grimly. 'It can also refer to someone that's common, cheap, a cheater, It's quite a nasty insult! No wonder no one ever really wants to be in that House!'

'Fits Diggory alright enough though I'd say,' Ron laughed.

Hermione said nothing and then excused herself to the library.

There were some things she needed to research.

'That girl needs to learn how to relax,' Hermione heard Ron say as she disappeared through the portrait hole leading to the rest of the castle.

She had to go to the Library yes, but there was something else she needed to do before she met Viktor.


	39. Next Steps

**Plot, new characters, new magical terms and abilities etc. are my intellectual property. If you want to borrow then please kindly ask. JK Rowling's characters and Wizarding Universe are all uniquely hers.**

**Summary: AU: What if everything we ever read in JK Rowling's books was real – including the people characterised? What would you do if you found yourself caught up in that reality knowing what was to come? SSnape, CDiggory, OFC**

_**Authors Note:**__**It has been mentioned in the story but now I am noting it here. I am a fan of Diana Gabaldon's 'Outlander'/'Cross Stitch' series and definitely was influenced by that in writing this story – i.e. the Standing Stones and travelling through time. But I also love Philip Pullman's 'His Dark Materials' series and the tv programme 'Sliders' and the alternate universes alongside ours idea comes from there no doubt.**_

_**CHAPTER NOTES: None**_

**Fantasy/Drama**

**This story is rated R/M.**

**ENIGMA**

**Chapter 039: Next Steps**

'Where is it… where is it…' Hermione muttered under her breath as she tried her best to look causal walking across the gardens to the side of the Great Hall.

Fortunately there weren't too many others about, but it still didn't hurt to be prudent just the same. She scowled as she looked down at the ground in the near distance. There it was – a shimmering black gooey mass. Hogwarts' resident know-it-all looked up and then around, just in time to spy Viktor coming towards her speedwalking. He might as well be exercising, dressed as he was in his winter workout gear, but she doubted that he really was.

'I thought you would be here,' he said stopping alongside her and stretching casually. 'You think Diggory is under the influence of a potion, don't you…and you want to get a sample of what he threw up last night.'

'You know me too well already,' Hermione said blushing.

'I thought you might want some help. Let's get what we can and then go somewhere to look at it properly, although I don't think the Library is it.'

'Why are you here Viktor? What is it to you if the Hogwarts Champion is potentially impaired by some stupid potion?'

'I care because I want a clean competition. If I win, let it be because I really was the best in every possible way rather than because I had an unfair advantage and kept my mouth shut. Diggory is the only real competition I have and from what I know of him, he has not been himself lately. He could get killed quite easily in this tournament even under the best possible circumstances. Whatever his problem is, it's going to get him killed.'

'Does your Headmaster know about this?'

'No – and he doesn't need to,' Viktor said emphatically as he leaned down during a stretch and scooped all of the black goo into the jar he'd taken off Hermione while they walked. 'I am not Igor Kakaroff, Hermioninny – I am my own person no matter what anyone else here wants to believe! I am more than the school I go to and what I've learned there!'

'Well that's me told…'

'If this is what I think it is, it will kill him long before the competition does,' Viktor observed as he did a fast series of push-ups with claps between each. He swatted the jar to Hermione who was retying the laces on her hiking boots and rolled it into her backpack.

'We need one of the Potions Classrooms,' Hermione said straightening up. 'But there's no way to get access without permission from Professor Snape and he'd have to get involved anyway.'

'He will have to go Headmaster Dumbledore and it will turn into something big…' Viktor sighed as they began to walk. 'We really need to avoid that. Can you imagine if your Ministry finds out? If it becomes a big deal here no way can the school keep it quiet.'

'I agree. Merlin knows we've had enough trouble already; we're lucky the Tournament has even gotten off the ground again.'

Hermione stopped suddenly and grabbed Viktor's arm. 'Jessica – she can help! She is a McKenzie now and the Highlanders don't have to answer to the Ministry!'

'The lady from last night? Do you think she would?'

'There's only one way to find out – come on!'

**xxxOOOxxx**

''So – to what do I owe this honour?' Jessica asked smiling as she opened the door to the shop.

Hermione and Viktor both began shrieking a mile-a-minute and were only stopped by a piercing whistle.

'One at a time – but come on in out of the freezing cold first!' the former Librarian admonished them.

Jessica led them to the flat she was setting up for herself separate from the accommodation Elio and Fergal shared. There might come a time when it would be useful so she may as well take advantage of owning such a large property.

'I…I don't know where to even start…' Hermione sighed frustratedly as Viktor reached into her rucksack and then placed the jar on the kitchen table. 'Thank Merlin you're here!'

'_Let's start at the very beginning – a very good place to start..._' Jessica sang.

'Wow – you have a really nice voice!' Viktor commented.

'Thank you Viktor. Now, what it is that you two are so desperate to talk to me about eh? Not my singing I'm sure!'

Her visitors could barely contain themselves as they sipped hot chocolate in her kitchen while she prepared a hot lunch for them all. The Durmstrang Champion and the Know-It-All Gryffindor looked at each other and then at Jessica as she put bowls of chicken stew and a plate of buttermilk biscuits on the table.

'It's about this,' Hermione said, pushing the jar forward as Jessica sat down. 'We think someone is slipping this into Cedric Diggory's drinks.'

Jessica paused for a moment and then found her voice. 'Are you sure?? How do you know – and where did this come from??'

'He threw this up outside during the Ball,' said Viktor. 'He was acting strange and so a couple of my friends helped me get him outside. At first we thought he was drunk from too much Butterbeer…'

'…but then once we were outside it seemed like he was almost losing his mind. He just wasn't the same person. One minute he couldn't stand the sight of Cho Chang and didn't want her anywhere near him and then he completely changed and couldn't keep his hands off her!' Hermione spat.

'That's not proof of anything in and of itself,' Jessica replied carefully, frowning as she looked at the jar. 'Where does _that_ come into it?'

'Marietta – she said something that made me think: she said,_ "'Poor little Cho – how much did you spend on that lot?"_ Hermione answered. 'Cedric insisted that he'd only had one glass of Butterbeer before throwing up all of that!'

'And that's not pure Butterbeer, that's for sure,' said Vikor. 'I think it's why he's been acting so strangely.'

Jessica sat back in her chair and made a face. A multitude of conflicting emotions and thoughts threatened to overwhelm her as she rendered her verdict.

'So Cho Chang used a dodgy Love Potion to get her man,' she said with faint malice. 'Except it seems as though Mr. Diggory was never really that interested so it really didn't work. She would have had to feed it to him over quite a long period of time for it to have any sort of effect – and she definitely did for him to throw up this mess.'

The former Librarian picked up the jar and brought it up close at eye level. 'And that she did do – which is why he threw this up… and it's also why his behaviour and mental stability have been questionable.'

'And Marietta knew all along, hence her comment. In fact, it wouldn't surprise me if she put Cho up to it. Cho's fairly tame by herself. She wouldn't have had the brass bollocks to walk into a shop and get it on her own,' Hermione said.

'If she really loved him, she wouldn't have done this!' Jessica hissed. 'Real love doesn't involve forcing someone to go against their will to pay attention to you!'

'People think I use them,' Hermione sniffed. 'They think I use them on Harry on Viktor thanks to Pansy Parkinson talking nonsense to Witch Weekly!'

'Nobody who has ever seen you together with either of them would believe that!' Jessica cried as she reached over gave Hermione's hands a squeeze. 'And anyone who believes any of Rita Skeeter's shyte is a moron!'

Hermione blinked back tears and nodded as Viktor put an arm around her. 'I know you Hermioninny – I know that you would never, _ever_ do such a thing. You don't need to,' he said firmly.

'So what do we do now?' he asked Jessica.

'There's only one person I trust enough with this – the Laird McKenzie. He's best placed to give us advice. It might take a bit to reach him though; he's very busy at the moment.'

'We understand,' Viktor said. 'Besides, we'd better head back to the school.'

'And we won't say a word to anyone…'

'I'll send an owl once I've gotten a hold of him,' Jessica promised. 'Just sit tight, ok?'

Given what they didn't know, she was going to have to speak to Liam on her own first.

**xxxOOOxxx**

'It's mighty good to have ye back, Sister,' Liam said gruffly as he nearly smothered Jessica with a hearty bear hug. 'It just wasna the same without ye. This is truly where ye belong.'

'Even if I'm with Severus?'

'Better him than some others I can think of…'

'Gee, thanks for the glowing endorsement!'

'So what brings ye here on so foul an evening? I would have thought ye'd be resting after all that to-do last night…'

'You are alone, right? No one else is here – especially Minerva?'

'That bad?'

'Yes, that bad.'

'She's up at the school,' Liam said as he ushered Jessica into their workroom. 'Now, what's going on?'

Jessica said nothing as she placed the jar on the wide Birch table in front of her. As she withdrew her hand she flexed her fingers into a fist and failed to hide her disgust.

'What's this?' Liam asked, bending over to get a closer look.

Jessica took a deep breath and flopped down in the nearest armchair.

'Cedric threw that up…' she began slowly.

Liam turned around and stared at her in disbelief as Jessica revealed all that she knew. His adopted sister's face was a mask of conflicting emotions as she spat out the details.

'I can see why ye saw fit to me to me about this,' he said angrily as he emptied some of the melted goo in a small cauldron. 'All this time… no wonder; the lad's been dafter than hippogriff in heat! And it wasna anything to do with him. Nowt to do do with him at all!'

The Laird McKenzie then placed a pewter bowl filled with water on top of it. He passed a hand over it three times and then gazed for a few moments. His hands gripped the table hard as he stared with his mouth set in a hard, thin line.

'Come,' he said through clenched teeth, beckoning for Jessica to stand next to him. 'Now look into the bowl and tell me what ye see.'

But Jessica sat stock-still and said nothing.

'What are ye afraid of Jessica?'

'I'm not afraid of anything!'

'Ye are! And damn it to that fictional Muggle hell lass, tell me what in Merlin's name are ye afraid of!'

'That I… that…'

Jessica swallowed as tears began streaming down her cheeks.

'Ye have to say it, Jessica. Ye have to say and own what you feel.'

'There's a part of me that still cares about him, I admit it. And God help me I could Crucio those bitches!'

'And those feelings ye have, that's how ye know ye did love him truly. Nowt that's real ever really goes away. Caring is not a bad thing…unless it's more than that?'

'I could drive myself crazy wondering about the little bit of time that we would have had left without Cho and Marietta's bullshit love potion.'

'So ye do know then.'

'Yes… I do. I don't need to divination to confirm that. Cedric and I were never meant to work out long-term. Everything has happened exactly as it was meant to.'

Liam glanced at the cauldron again. Yes, it was just as well she didn't see what he saw. But she would come to realise it soon enough; and he would stand by her then just as he was doing now. He had the feeling that Jessica only knew but one part of Cedric's story. But their story was not over. It was just as well that she remained in the dark.

'So what do we do?' Jessica asked, interrupting his thoughts.

'Let the chips fall where they will, and let the truth come out,' Liam answered firmly.

'What about the protection of the Highlanders?'

'What's done is done. He is not one of us. And he left himself open to her charms. Ye cannot be so easily influenced if ye don't leave yourself open to it. And he should know better than any other student at the school – he is the Champion, after all. If he never learned anything else from Severus Snape he should know that…'

'…and you really can't interfere as it might change things in ways that could be much worse for us all in the future.'

'I don't think it wise, Jessica. I do believe we need to let this play itself out. Mr. Diggory will realise soon enough what's been done to him. I wouldn't want to be in either girl's shoes when he does. Viktor Krum was right – this would kill him long before any task in the tournament would.'

Liam paused – and then smiled.

'What are you up to Liam?'

'Young Diggory was already deathly ill once and Madame Pomfrey and Professor Sprout looked after him. It was too easy to think that he might have ingested some joke tonic bought from the Weasley Twins; all things being equal that was the most obvious. Why would anyone have suspected it was a love potion? I think a quiet word about giving our Champions regular fitness checks and guidance on dietary concerns…'

'…along with certain magical evaluations just to ensure everything is always above board…'

'…because we have had more than enough controversy so far and all things considered it's best to take a more pro-active and responsible approach – same as we do during the regular Quidditch season.'

'None of the School Heads can complain, as it's something they should be quite used to anyway…'

'Young Mr. Krum in particular; he should be well used to it as a World Class Professional Quidditch player. I've got to hand it to him, Jessica. That young man is a credit to his people – more so than his school. There are very few who would do what he has to ensure a fair competition.'

'He could be my son-in-law definitely.'

'Well, as Miss Granger seems to look up to you as a mother figure much like Mr. Potter _still_ does, you'll be quite the proud Mother-in-Law!' Liam said chuckling.

'_Poor Ron…'_ Jessica gasped.

'Some things are just not meant to be. And in that case, it's nowhere near being a bad thing!'

'Ouch!'

'As you love to say, "I'm just telling the truth!" and we both know that Hermione Granger can do better…'

'Same as me, right?'

'No, not like ye at all. It might surprise ye to know that I actually think working things through with Snape is the best thing possible for both of ye.'

'I won't even waste my breath asking why. So – what should I say to Hermione and Viktor?'

'Have both of them come by your place in town in on Boxing Day and we'll all have a word together. I think Viktor would appreciate being able to have a word with me directly rather than you being my messenger.'

'He definitely would,' Jessica said rising. 'I'll fix us a nice lunch. Their time is still their own at the moment so no one will care that they aren't hanging around school. Most of them are making day trips of some sort anyway.

'That will do me just fine. But one more thing; I know ye too well lass. Ye keep that temper in check. Not so much as a hiss in certain people's direction if they cross your path aye?'

'You have my word…'

Liam didn't say much else beyond asking Jessica about the Boxing Day lunch menu as he saw her out. It wasn't in anyone's best interest to know what the future would bring. Micro-managing wouldn't help anyone, least of all Jessica and Cedric.


End file.
